Hard lock and Zero trouble
by Ligthingtooth
Summary: young Harlock and Cosmo Warrior Zero finds them self in a desperate situation, and must trust eachother to get out of it, but can the two of them hold their peace long enough for them to escape?
1. Chapter 1

A young tall man lay unmoving in a bed. Dressed in a blue suit with a red brim and a skull and cross bones mark on the left side on his chest. His white scarf was missing from his neck and so were his guns from his side. He had a long hazel brown hair where some of the locks were down in his face. He also had scar across his face, going from the other side of the nose bone and followed on down his left cheek.

Wakening up with a splinting headache, young Harlock moved pain fully in the bed he was in. Opening his hazel brown eyes he looked up on the ceiling for a few seconds as his eyes adjusted to the light in the room. Sitting up braving the dizziness and pain, he streaked his right had behind his head and rubbed the painful spot were the neck met the head joint.

Damm, those metal boxes hit hard. Harlock thought as he suddenly realised that he was chained by two long chains to the wall next to his bed. The chains did not restrict any of his movement at least. Looking around he saw that he was in a big room cut of by some metal bars that made a sort of cell. His cell was not to big a few feet at least with a bed. Standing up he moved to the bars that held him in. The chains rattled as he moved and he tried to pull to see how strong they were. Quickly realizing that he could not pull free, he looked at the locks on his wrist. Sighing he looked out of his cell.

On to other side only a few feet away there was another cell like his and another man were laying there still unconscious.

"Zero!" He said surprised. The young man was not much older than Harlock. His chocolate brown hair lay forward down in his eyes. He was dressed in a black pans and a red shirt as his captains jacked and hat were missing.

So far Harlock had believed that he had been captured by bounty hunters or the military but seeing his friend and rival chained up as well made no sense. Cosmo warrior Zero was the captain of most of the military. Harlock found it strange that he would be chained up like him, one of the most feared pirates in the universe. Harlock sighed again realizing that he had to wait at least until Zero woke up before he could get some answerers. Sitting back down on the bed he put his had in one of his pockets, he smiled a bit to himself he realised that whoever held him here had not taken his watch. He carefully puled it out. It was an old pocket watch, that his father the first Captain Harlock had given him. The watch had their family trade mark the skull and crossbones on it. Flipping the lid on it, he looked at what the time was. From his counting it had been nearly a day since he had been captured. Closing the lid, he carefully pulled out the pin that held the lid in place. Putting the watch down, Harlock started to use the pin to pick up the lock on the chain fastened his right hand.

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After a little while suddenly there was a movement coming from the other cell. Harlock put the pin down and watched as Zero started to come back to his senses. Zero lay still after coming back looking at the celling. Resting one of his hands to his hurting head, he suddenly looked at his chained hands, and sat quickly up. Harlock grinned a bit as he saw that moving so quickly nearly made Zero pass out again.

"Your finally awake then?" Harlock said looking at him. Harlock sat resting his back to the wall with one foot in the bed resting his right hand over the knee. Zero stood suddenly up.

"Harlock!" He growled and jumped towards him. Coming to a sudden stop as the chains would not let him go any further that the bars.

"What have you done? Let me go this instant." He ordered. Harlock grinned before laughing out loud.

"You think I put you in there? Then by all means captain, sir, I will free you as soon as I get out of these myself." He said as he stood up and came to his bars, lifting his right hand showing the chains on it.

"What? But why?" Zero looked confused in more ways then one as he saw this.

"Then I take it you don't know any more than I do about why we are here." Harlock said sighing to himself with a grin.

"I suppose I was experting to much of you then." Harlock said as he sat back down on the bed. Zero looked at him, his fists were shaking in anger.

"Its easy to realize why I would be a target for any one with the bounty on my head, but why they took you as well." Harlock said as he started again to pick the lock. He gave a quick glaze at Zero that had not moved at all.

"How on earth did you even get captured?" He said looking strait at him. Zero snared to himself and pulled his chains to get free.

"We got a coded signal that when we decoded it told of a man that knew your where bouts and that he would only tell me alone." Zero started to tell and sat down on the bed. Harlock gave him a sceptical look lifting on of his eyebrows.

"As we came to the coordinates, I took of in a small ship and landed down on the place the message said. Leaving the plane I went on alone. Suddenly these robots shaped like big bugs came at me from every where, shooting as many as I could I found cover in some rocks and tried to hold them back, but one of them had gotten behind me and I was knocked out cold." Zero said cursing his own stupidity. He looked up at Harlock who had stood up again and were standing next to the bars.

"I already knew that last part. We were not to far from you when we got a transmission of you battling the bugs. At first I was not gonna go anything but as we saw the one coming up behind you... You can say I guess I was not thinking strait as I went down there to take care of it. I just cant stand seeing any one doing something as cowardly as that. Fighting my way over to you the bugs suddenly over whelmed me and I was knocked out as well. I guess I should not really have gotten involved." Harlock grinned to himself. Zero was confused.

_Why would they use me as bait to get Harlock. There were no guaranty that Harlock would have come at all. But most of all why did Harlock really risk his life to save mine?_ Zero thought looking at the pirate in front of him. Suddenly there was a sound coming from the door in the room that they were in. Harlock moved quickly and took his watch and put it back together and put it in his pocket. Turning back to Zero he grinned and moved back up to the bars to see what they were up against.

In from the door an older man came. He was short but taller than Tochiro. He had grey hair and grey bard and were moving slowly into the room. Dressed in a white lab jacked and white pants, he was followed by some unmistakeable known droids, the same that Zero had met before fighting the Hell castle. Their black feeling less metal body made a small chill go down Zeros back.

"So you two are finally awake then. good then we can begin the testing right away." The old man said.

"Wait, testing? Who are you?" Zero demanded to know.

"Oh yes how rude of me. I am doctor Kichigai. I was once a renown psychiatrist at the earth but was banished from the earth for my methods." Zero's face paled as he heard the name.

"Doctor Kichigai, you used to torture you victims, nearly to death." Zero said. Harlock looked at Zero and then back at the old man.

"That was treatment, but none of you block heads could get that, so you kicked me out here in the stars. Where I drifted for a long time finding no place that would take me in as the foul rumour you spread always were before me." The old man was angry and looked at Zero with a look that could nearly kill.

"And then I met The Galaxy Emperor that liked my work, and hired me as a motivate for his men. I have been so buzzy since. And now he came to me and told me to capture the two of you and find out what motivates you to fight as you do. I feel so honoured, since I have not gotten to do much on real humans. And here I have two great specimens to work with." Doctor Kichigai looked at Harlock with a look that seemed to hunger after getting started. Harlock feelt that he was getting looked at like a lab rat. The doctor turned his head and looked at Zero. Zero jumped a bit seeing that look.

"My orders are to either break you or kill you." The doctor grinned. "But I think you two will provide much entertainment before we come to that." He said and pushed a button on the control he had in his hand. Suddenly to the two young men surprise the bars went down in the floor. The droids came towards Harlock and Zero. The two men exchanged looks before they both suddenly were moving. Harlock kicked one of the droids way from him and hit the other one with a hard right. Zero punched the two droids that were coming towards him, from him. As the four droids landed on the floor Both Harlock and Zero jumped towards the doctor. As they were almost over him when he pushed another button on the control. Suddenly Harlock and Zero was getting pulled backwards in a dangerous speed. Both of them hit the wall next to the beds in their cells, hitting the wall with their back heads. Suffering from the pain of getting thrown backwards like that, they where fighting trying to get lose, the chains that was fastened around their wrist had pulled into the wall and held them up towards the wall. Their arms were held apart over their heads.

"There, there, no need to get violent is there? Just stand there and relax." The doctor said grinning. The four droids got back up and came towards them again. The two men were still struggling to get free as one of the droids grabbed them around their neck and lifted them up. Feeling the strain on their necks as it was getting hard to breath, made only them more angry.

"Let them go. I gave you no order to kill them yet." The doctor said. The droids let go and the two men got back up staring angry towards the old man.

"Well then shall we begin?" He asked looking at Harlock. The doctor pulled out a syringe and came towards him.

"Harlock!" Called Zero out as the old man came towards Harlock. Suddenly there were a shine in Harlocks eyes and he kicked out after the old man. The old Doctor got kicked away and glided on the floor. The two droids next to Harlock turned and started to punch him in the face.

"Harlock!" Zero called again struggling to get free.

"That's enough!" The old man suddenly called out as he got back on to his feet. "Hitting this man is not gonna help us. You need to use another way to get to him." He said and there was a scary look in his eyes.

"Yes, sir" Said one of the droids and moved towards Harlock taking off something around his neck. Harlocks eyes narrowed as he saw the metal ring in the droids hands. The other droid held his legs as the droid held it up to his neck. Harlock struggled to get free as the ring snapped tight around his neck. The droids let him go. Harlock had a look in his eyes that said he was gonna kill someone for this.

"What is that?" Zero asked as the droids moved out of the way and he could see the ring.

"One of my inventions. This one is my favourite as it always gets the result I want to get." Doctor Kichigai grinned.

"Now are you gonna play along and let me get some of your blood or do you want to do this the hard way?" He asked as he came up towards Harlock again. Harlock spit out some blood from his mouth.

"Never!" He said looking back at the old man. Doctor Kichigai grinned looking back at him as he gave the syringe to one of the droids.

"I was hoping you were gonna say that." He grinned as he pushed down a red button on the control. Suddenly Harlock threw his head back biting his teeth together as the ring were giving out strong electric shocks. Harlock struggled in his chains as it hurt like hell.

"Harlock!" Zero called out seeing the young pirate in pain. He could see the shocks as the metal ring were glowing and sparking.

"Stop it, you are killing him!" Zero called out towards the doctor, struggling to get free. Suddenly he feelt a screaming pain in his neck as one of the droids had pushed the syringe down in his neck and were drawing out his blood. Pulling the syringe out Zero growled out in pain. The doctor grinned and let go of the red button. Harlock hang lifeless in the chains as the other droid came up and drew the blood from him.

"Harlock..." Zero said seeing the pirate not moving.

"Sir, you want us to put a ring on this one as well?" one of the droids asked looking at Zero.

"Might as well, we might need it." The doctor replied. One of the droids pulled of a ring like the one Harlock had on from his neck. Zero struggled as the other one held his head still as the ring snapped in place around his neck. The droids pulled away from the two men as the bars were going back up. Harlock slowly raised his head up and looked at the doctor.

"You are gonna pay for this." Harlock said growling. The doctor laughed.

"Yes you two are gonna provide me with loads of fun." He laughed as he left. Suddenly the chains gave after and came out again. Harlock fell forward and landed on his knees. Zero rushed up to the bars.

"Harlock! Hold on!" He called out again. Zero looked at him as the pirate struggled his sore body back up and sat down on the bed. Harlock tried to take hold of the ring and pull it of but the ring was not even moving. Zero tried to do the same.

"Looks like we really got us self into real trouble." said Harlock with a small grin.

**Author's note:**

**so okay got a bit inspired by the first extra episodes of Cosmo warrior Zero, and got this idea in my head. I just had to write it down as it just kept getting better. **

**I hope I did not stray to far from their personality as I am not used to having to Zero as well. Tell me if I did so I can get the personality right in the next chapter.**

**Also their was a small homage to Geminis story "don't pay the ferryman" **

**I know I used the same ring idea as my fic "hunters prey" and used the watch that came in from my fic "old memorys" but I say I just use what works, right?**

**Feel free to tell me how I did.**

**Ligthingtooth.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you all right?" Zero asked looking at Harlock as he rubbed the spot where the needle had gone in. Harlock looked like he was still in pain. He had not moved much since he had forced his hurting body up on the bed, and was sitting still, looking at the floor.

"Been through worse." He said coldly. Even as he set up a brave cold front Zero could see the pain showing trough. Zero looked at his clove, there was blood on it as he took his hand away from the small wound at his neck.

"What on earth did he want our blood for? He asked as he closed his hand.

"Who knows." Harlock said and lay down on the bed resting his sore body.

"Feels like I have been through the electric chair. " He growled to himself, not really caring if Zero heard him or not. He pulled out the watch and looked at the time again. Zero sat down and pulled out his medallion and flipped the lid and looked at the picture of his wife and child. As always it hurt to see it and remember that he had failed to saved them. Closing the lid he looked at Harlock again. The pirate was looking up at the celling and rested a hand behind his head.

"What do you know of this doctor? I have been in space most of my life so I think I might have missed something here." Harlock suddenly said to Zero's surprise.

"I don't know much myself. I only heard stories as I was in the academy." Zero said resting his back on the wall and put his feet up in the bed as he rested his arms on the knees. Resting his head back on the wall he though back.

"Doctor Kichigai. The first rumours that were going was how great a doctor he was and how he had helped so many. But then the people he so called cured, showed up dead, some was mysterious deaths that seemed to far to brutal. Most of them had been brutally tortured over long periods." Harlock sat up as he heard this. His hazel eyes narrowed and had a hard look in it.

"But as they tried to investigate it, the poor cops set to investigate were found dead as well. Fearing more deaths they banished him of the planet. He was believed to have died a long time ago." Zero finished his story and looked back at Harlock.

"Apparently not." Harlock growled and lay back down. Thinking about the man that held them prisoner, Harlock snared to himself. His body still hurt and there was more where that had come from. If they did not get out of here they would be killed or worse. Pulling out the watch again Harlock took out the pin and tried again at the lock.

"What are you doing?" Zero asked looking at him. Harlock did not answerer him. Zero kept looking at Harlock as he wondered how they could get out of here. There was no way of contacting their ships or any one else. They did not even know where they were.

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After a while were nothing really happened, Harlock were still trying to pick the lock. Zero had fallen asleep coming to the concoction after a long line of thinking that it would be best to save his strength and wait for the right moment.

There was suddenly the sound at the door again that they had heard the first time the doctor came in. The two men figured it meant that the door was being locked open. Harlock put the watch back together again and hid it in his pocked, smiling to himself as he stood up. His body was better now that he had rested and he was ready to show that doctor how much pain a Harlock could stand. Zero with out knowing was also thinking to show the doctor that he would not break easy.

The doctor came in still followed by his guards. Zero looked at them and wondered what he had planed for them this time. He looked for a few seconds at Harlock wondering if he had plans fore something worse than what he had done to Harlock. The old man stepped up to Zero on the other side of the bars.

"Seems like you two have rested now, hope you are ready for some more testing.." The doctor said looking strait up at Zero. His eyes seemed want to do harm to the man in front of him. Zero could feel a small chill crawl up his spine but his face was not showing.

"So what do you really want with us? The longer you keep us here alive your ships get more chance to find us, you know that." Zero said bravely. The doctor laughed suddenly.

"Yes, I guess you expect your friends on board the Death shadow and Karyu to find you... You did not find it strange that we did not take from you your things? You probably have some transmitters on some of the things you have, right? Well I can tell you right away that we are inside an magnetic meteor, no signals but those I want to gets through it. So no your friends will not be coming any time soon." The doctor grinned as he looked at Zero. Zero seemed to pale but quickly put up again the brave front.

"They'll come." Harlock said smiling to himself. The doctor turned and looked at him. The doctor grinned again.

"Not likely, Harlock. As no of the signals you have on right know is working." Harlock froze as he heard that.

_When did he? _Harlock snared to himself.

"I suggest you two move back to the wall unless you want to have another painful meting with the wall" The doctor said and grinned as he took up the control again. Harlock moved right over to the wall. Zero wondered why Harlock did not protest as he moved back himself. As the bars went down suddenly the chains moved back up into the wall. Even as they had stood by the wall it still came as a bit of shock as the chains quickly and kinda painfully pulled their arms up and locked them over their heads. The doctor came towards Harlock pulling a knife out of his pocket.

"Humans like you two have an incredible high pain resistance. For example." Kichigai said as he suddenly cut Harlock over his chest, right over the skull and crossbones. Harlock had his right eye closed and bit his teeth together as the pain was coming in waves like the blood that was coming out.

"See, you did not even try to scream." The doctor grinned to Harlock. Harlocks eyes was glowing of hate as he looked at the doctor.

"People that have to fight everyday of their life learners how to handle pain. Like hunted men and military men. Pain is always constant for them." He pushed the knife into Harlocks left shoulder. Again Harlocks only reaction was closing his eyes and biting his teeth together. The doctor pulled the knife out. Harlock twisted a bit as the doctor did this, as the doctor also twisted the blade around in his wound.

"Why are you doing this?" Zero asked his worry for the pirate was clearly showing trough in his hard eyes. Doctor Kichigai turned around towards Zero.

"Because I can. I have not gotten to torture a real human since I was banished from Earth. Mechanised people are fun enough but they break so easy. " He said as he came up to Zero drying of Harlocks blood on it with a small handkerchief. Zero got ready as he knew that it was his turn to be cut by the blade. The first cut hit Zero over his chest. Zero closed his eyes as the pain came up to him. His wine red shirt got blood red as his blood came out.

"Not even as much a a whine." Grinned the doctor happily. Zero looked over at Harlock. He was bleeding pretty badly and was looking back at him. Both of them was thinking the same thing. As they would not give this mad man the pleasure of hearing them scream, it seemed that they only gave him the pleasure of trying to see how far they could push it, before they would scream. Harlock growled to himself.

_I would rather die than let his man hear my scream. _Zero was thinking the same thing as he looked back at the doctor.

"You'll have to do more than that to make any one of us scream." He growled angry towards him. The doctor laughed.

"Great! I knew you would not let me down." He said as he took the knife up to Zero's face. Zero's eyes narrowed as he looked at the knife. Suddenly the blade came down and cut Zero over his left cheek. Zero bit his teeth together as the pain made its presence.

"Now you two look alike." The doctor grinned as he was the blood come out of the new wound.

"Don't make fun of me. You will regret it." Harlock growled as he heard the last comment. The doctor turned and came up to him again giving Zero a small breather to feel his wounds.

"I can do much more than make fun of you, pirate, and I think it will be you who is gonna regret it." The doctor seemingly even more mad now as he stood in front of Harlock.

"Not this time." said Harlock his eyes had a dangerous shine in them. Zero looked at them as it was like the room had gone cold. The doctor seemed frozen to the stop and could not move out of the pirate's look. Suddenly Harlock pulled his right hand free from the chain and hit the doctor with a hard right. As the doctor went down Harlock growled in pain as his wounds burned in pain. And his right hand hurt like it had hit a brick wall. Two of the droides were quick up to him and locked his hand back in the chain., as his hand was surly tightened they came up in front of him ready with a couple of fists. As Harlock was getting hit over and over again Zero looked at the small doctor, he was sitting on the floor and holding on to his face. The mask had come loose and Zero could see the metal face underneath the cracks.

"Stop it! I told you already that would not work." The doctor said as he stood up again. The droides stopped and moved out of the way. Harlock spit out some blood from his mouth again.

"So that's way it hurt so much to hit you." Harlock growled. The doctor fasted his face back on and grinned.

"Yes well, if I was human I would probably not be consigns now. You have a mean hard hook. But like you know, I'll have to punish you now." The doctor said looking strait at Harlock with a look of joy. Harlocks eyes narrowed.

"Do your worse." He said waiting for the pain looking at the doctor with a cold stare. The doctor grinned and pulled up the control. Harlock knew what was coming now, but he could not have prepare for what happened. As Harlock saw him push the button he got ready for pain, closing his eyes.

Suddenly Zero nearly screamed out but bit his teeth together before he did. Harlock opened his eyes and saw that the ring around Zeros neck were flashing. Zero twisted around in pain, as the currents were going trough him.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Harlock screamed to the mad man. "Leave Zero out of this! I am the one you should punish, not Zero!" He pulled at his chains hard, not really caring about his wounds.

"Well I realised that hurting you would not do anything about your attitude. It seems like I was right about you. Your noble character makes you suffer more when it someone else gets hurt because of you, then when hurting you." The doctor grinned and let go of the button. Zero hang lifeless for a few seconds as the after currents made his body shake.

"Zero!" Harlock called worried. Zero moved slightly before he lifted his head up to the doctor.

"You are gonna regret doing that." He said breathing heavily, his eyes were blurry and his hole body hurt. That final line was all he got out before he passed out.

"Zero! Zero!" Harlock called again struggling in his chains. One of the droides moved up to him before striking him in the back of his head making him almost pass out.

"Zero, I promise... I'll make him pay for that." Harlock said before passing out. The doctor grinned looking at the two men.

"Bandage their wounds and take them to the memory scan room." The doctor said as he left the room the four droides loosened the two men from the wall and put bandages on their wounds before picking them up and carried them with them out of the room.

**Author's note**

**okey this got kinda short as I planed to have the next chapter in this as well but I changes my mind and made this a chapter for it self. Hope it is okey like this.**

**I forgot to put this in at the first chapter but Kichigai is Japanese and translates as mad. In other words his name is Doctor Mad.**

**Feel free to tell me how I did this time, next chapter will be up soon, I hope**

**Ligthingtooth**


	3. Chapter 3

Zero came back to his senses as his body screamed out in pain when the droides locked him down on a table. He lay still with his eyes closed until he heard them leave. Carefully opening his eyes he looked around. He was bound down on what looked like a torturing table. His feet was locked down by a metal ring at the ankles and he had a metal ring over his stomach and chest. His hands were tided down the same way resting by his sides. He tried to pull free but as he merely moved for a few seconds his hole body screamed in pain. His wounds had been bandaged but they still hurt, and his body was sore after the electric currents. He turned his head around to look where he was. The room was fairly big with a large screen in front of him and a control panel up to the wall behind him. Turning his head left he suddenly realised that Harlock was also tied down on a table next to him. Harlock was still unconscious but looked as he was in pain. His shoulder and chest was bandaged but blood was still colouring it red. Zero knew that that also was true for his wounds.

_I just don't hope that the cut across my face is not gonna leave a scar... That would hard to explain._ Zero thought with a small smile before he cringed a bit in pain. Just turning his head to the side hurt like hell, Zero growled to himself.

_So this is how much that damm ring hurt. It feels like I am gonna fall apart_. He thought as he turned his head back looking at the ceiling.

Suddenly there came a growl of pain from the table next to him. Zero turned to see Harlock slowly coming back to his senses. The young man struggled a bit but gave up after a few seconds.

"They sure know how to tie one down don't they?" Zero asked as Harlock gave up.

"If not, escaping this place would be easy right? Where is the challenge then?" Harlock growled back turning to Zero. Zero smiled a bit.

"You were right. We got us self in to a real mess this time." He smiled. Harlock looked at him before turning his head around looking at the room. The two men were silent for a wile.

"I am sorry." Harlock suddenly said, surprising Zero greatly as the proud pirate seemed to be shameful.

"I did not know he was gonna harm you, for what I did." Zero looked at him both surprised and shocked. Harlock looked up in the ceiling, refusing to look at him.

"How could you have known? The man is clearly mad. Harming people is fun for this man." Zero said looking at Harlock. As Harlock turned his head towards him, it could almost seem that a small cap between them had closed.

Suddenly the door went up and Doctor Kichigai came in. his four droides moved to the four corners of the room and stood there waiting new orders.

"Aw I see you are awake then. Good, good." The doctor said moving in front of them. The two men looked back at him feeling their hate burn inside them.

"You asked before what I need you two for. Well I want to know what makes you fight for the earth, both of you fight for the same course it seems but you have chosen different paths." The doctor grinned and looked at them with the seemingly mad look.

"I am gonna find out why that is and how you decided your fates." He grinned again as he started to move away from them.

"And how are you gonna do that?" Zero asked even as he knew that he would probably regret asking. The doctor stopped and turned against him again.

"With this machine here, I can extract the memories I want and even look into your deepest darkest secrets." The doctor grinned and moved out of their sight and behind them to the panel. Sitting down on the chair he started to push some buttons. Suddenly from the roof there came a strange contraption. It had three black metal plates on it. He took it down towards the two men.

"Well, shall we get started?" The doctor laughed as he took the thing towards Zero. Zero hardened every muscle in his body as the thing came towards his head, he struggled to get free.

"Wait! If it is memories you want you better start with me. After all I am the son of the Great Captain Harlock." Harlock said, surprising the doctor as much as Zero.

"Harlock, why?" Zero whispered. Harlock did not answer but had a stone face on.

"I never expected you to volunteer to go first, but okay since you want to then." The doctor said and moved the thing over to Harlocks head. The metal plates locked itself down to his head. Two of the plates were sitting over the templates of his head the last one was locking itself down on his forehead. Harlocks head were locked down and he could hardly move at all.

_This was probably not a good idea, but I could not let Zero go through this right after being electrocuted like he was. I won't let him suffer any more for me._ Harlock growled to himself as he bit his teeth together preparing for pain that he knew would come. Zero looked at him feeling bad for the pirate as he realised why Harlock had volunteered.

"Harlock, hold out. I'll still have to capture you." He said looking toward the pirate having his normal stone look. Harlock turned his right eye towards him, and grinned.

"Right, I keep that in mind. Not that you ever..." Harlock started to say before his face twisted in pain as the thing on his head started to glow. The screen in front of Zero and Harlock lighted up. Harlock twisted his body apparently suffering in pain. The screen flashed quickly trough Harlocks memories. Most of the memories were new and Zero saw himself as he got captured by the bug robots for instance. It seemed the memories were going backwards as the newest memories came first.

The doctor seemed uninterested in most of his memories and Zero could hear a sound from the panel. It sounded like he was turning on something and Harlock growled in pain as it seemed the scan went deeper into his memories. The screen seemed to kinda fast forward trough Harlocks memories.

Suddenly the screen stopped flashing and a memory was being shown. Zero gasped a bit as he realised that he was looking at himself thorough Harlocks eyes. He was looking at himself, standing in a gate ready to go in, with Emeraldas standing next to him. Through Harlocks eyes he saw himself fight Harlock in a duel he would never forget. Zero noticed that as he saw himself fight that there was no way of really seeing how hurt he had been at that time. The memory fast forwards a bit to the part where Harlock and Zero had to work together to defend the house and the lab in the basement. Zero had to grin a bit remembering this as he could remember how much fun that had really been. The memory fast forward a bit again and he saw himself having a drinking contest with Harlock, Emeraldas and Tochiro was sitting on the other side of the room drinking.

"Interesting, you two really see each other as friends and rivals at the same time. "Strange that you have not killed each other yet." The doctor grinned.

"Don't worry, we are getting to it." Zero snared towards him. Zero could see a small smile on Harlocks lips as he had said that, but it quickly vanished as the doctor was ones again was fast-forwarding in his memories. He did not stop until he reached the memories on the fight against the Hell Castle. Seeing the fight trough Harlocks eyes Zero realised how badly the fight had really gone for them and how lucky they had been getting out of it alive. At the same time he also realised how much faith Harlock had placed on him as they decided to try the St. Elmos fire, protecting the Karyu with his Death Shadow. Zero turned and looked at the suffering pirate.

"So even as much as you hate each other you can still fight together." The doctor took a few notes on this and resumed the scanning of Harlocks memories.

This time he stopped as the Death Shadow were attacking a city. Zero froze as he remembered that day. Harlock had attacked civilians and had killed a lot of innocent men. Zero had also lost two of his trusted men. He was surprised to see how Harlock had reacted to see that they were civilians.

_Did he not know that he was shooting at civilians? Why did he..._ Zero looked at the pirate. Harlocks face was twisted in pain but it also seemed like he was mad.

"The info we got said that it was a military base!" Harlocks voice came from the screen and from the memory. Harlock was apparently angry as he was screaming, before throwing a glass of wine into the wall in what seemed to be the captain's room. Zero saw Harlocks hands hitting the desk in front of him cursing angry.

_He did really not know, and he hates himself for attacking innocent people. _Even as Zero thought this he was relived to know that he had not been wrong about Harlocks character.

"Hmm, you have a lot of pride in how you do things." The doctor said before turning the fast forward on again. This time it stopped at the happenings at the gun frontier. Tochiro, that was nearly hanged and the fight against the villagers. Zero was surprised to find out as well what had really happened as the story he got from his men was kinda confusing. Yet what surprised him the most was Harlocks try to help the villagers as an apology for Tochiros accident with the cow and the alcohol. Seeing himself talking to Harlock by the bar after saving Tochiro, Zero could see himself in a new light. In maybe more ways than one Harlock and him was kinda alike. The doctor on the other hand seemed bored and passed most of the chat going further back in Harlocks mind. The next bit surprised Zero a bit as he saw his other ship the Mirage getting shot by one of Harlocks men. A near miss, that he would not forget so easy. He also noticed the small grin on Harlocks face were he lay next to him. Zero had to smile as well as they both remembered that chicken race that they had that day. Losing it, as the Mirages engines shorted out, the Mirage had taken heavy fire from the Death Shadow, rendering it almost helpless. Harlock grinned again opening his right eye and looked at Zero.

"I have not forgotten. I still owe you for that." Zero said smiling as well. Harlocks smile did not last long as the pain came back to him as the scan went even farther back.

The next memory made the pirate still grin as the scene changed to seeing the Death shadow sitting waiting to set back out to the sea of stars.

His friend Tochiro grinned as he saw his friend's confused face.

"You fixed it? Can it fly?" Harlock asked realising what ship it was. Tochiro had been working for years on the old ship that they had found after the Illumidus army had faded way.

"Hell, yeah. It can fly. And much more." Tochiro grinned.

"You don't recognise her do you?" Tochiro grinned as Harlock turned his head looking at him more confused.

"That's The Death Shadow. Your father's old ship." He grinned as Harlocks face lightened up hearing the ships name.

"She is waiting for you to take her into the stars again. Only a Harlock could ever be behind her wheel." Tochiro smiled, looking at his friend.

Harlocks face seemed to light up as he remembered this . Zero could nearly feel Harlocks pride as he saw the Death Shadow for the first time. The doctor seemed uninterested again and moved to turn the memory scan on again. Harlock seemed to cringe as he saw that was coming.

The next bit as the end of the ship he had been first officer on, the Vengeance. They had under the war for Earth been boarded and had lost their control of the ship, together with the ships second officer, he had destructed the control room, rendering the ship useless to the mechanised men, trying to get back to their friends they ran as fast as they could.

They had come to a sudden stop as their way was suddenly blocked by a larger group of mechanised men. The officer mechanised man said that he would give the eternal life if they gave up with out a fight. Something that was not Harlocks stile at all. He had growled back something about swallowing fire rather than to give up. The mechanised men seemed to laugh at this and two of them suddenly pulled the young female second officer to the side, and as Harlock tried to help her he got caught in a rain of blast fire. Struggling back on his feet Harlock tried to get over to her as a final shot cut him across his face giving him the scar he now had. As he fell to the ground again he could hear her screams as he faded out.

"Reia..." Harlock whispered, as he lay still on the table. Zero looked at the young pirate finally understanding more of the young man, and his ways. Harlocks face twisted in anger and pain. The pirate was still, having his eyes closed. Zero turned back at the screen, but if he had not done so he would have seen the small tear the fell from Harlocks right eye before disappearing in his hair.

"Very interesting, yes interesting indeed." The doctor said grinning. Zero got angry as it seemed like he as enjoying looking at Harlocks loss.

"Lets see what she was to you, shall we?" The doctor grinned and took Harlocks memories back even further.

"Hey rookie!" A voice called out as Harlock was on his way into his room. Harlock turned and saw a rader large boy come up to him. He was followed by a young girl at Harlocks age and another boy on the other side.

"Don't call me rookie, my name is Phantom Harlock." Harlock sighed.

"Phantom then, but you still are a rookie on board this ship, and all rookies needs to learn their spot." The large boy said.

"And I take it that you are the one to teach me this spot of mine?" Harlock said grinning to himself.

"Damm right, my name is Ash, and I teach all rookies their place." The large boy said.

"Teach him good Ash. The young boy said moving out of the way.

"Don't you worry Tesshin. You know I'll will." Ash said grinning as he came towards Harlock.

"Boys." The young girl huffed moving out of the way as well. Ash pushed out a fist at Harlocks head but he docked and striked Ash hit a hard right. Ash had to back up as he got hit.

"You are good." He growled and striked out towards him again. This time Harlock moved side ways grabbed his arm and pulled it back as he moved behind Ash. Quickly tripping him, Harlock pushed Ash on to his stomach and pinned him down.

"I thought you were gonna teach me a lesson?" Harlock grinned as the other one cried in pain.

"Wow, you are good." The young girl said coming up to him.

"Maybe it's true what they say, that you are the son of the Great Captain Harlock." She said looking at him. Harlock seemed a little confused at this.

"Hey! perhaps you can let go, it hurts, damm it!" Ash suddenly yelled out.

"Aah sorry." Harlock let go of Ash and looked a little dumb as he was not sure what to say. Ash got back up and looked insulted at him.

"Well, I'll let you go for this time but don't believe you are gonna get me next time." Ash grinned and took Harlocks head under his arm, messing up Harlocks hair.

"Well whether you are a pirate son or not, you are still a member of the Vengeance now." Ash laughed before he let him go.

"Lets go Tesshin. I need something to drink." The big boy took the other one under the arm and pulled him with him. Harlock stroke his hand trough his hair, tying to make it lay down again.

"He is really not a bad guy, Ash, he is just a bit of a brute. My name is Reia…. Phantom was it? Strange name." She giggled to herself.

"It have been in my family for generations. it's a German name." He said opening the door to his new room.

"Sorry, did not mean to offend you." She said looking a bit shameful. Harlock did not answer.

"Hey, by the way, most of us a gathering in the dining hall later around seven. Hope you will come as well. I'll appreciate it." As she said the last thing she turned terribly red and ran of.

"What's with her? She is a strange girl." Harlock mothered to himself as he settled in. He picked up the watch from his pocket. Looking at the clock he sighed.

"That's two hours until. I might as well go." He said looking at his clock.

As the doctor resumed to fast forwarding in Harlock mind, Zero wondered if Harlock knew that she had fallen in love with him back them. Harlock lay there with a stone face not showing any emotions.

The next memory surprised the doctor and Zero as they suddenly saw a man in a black suit with a white skull and cross bones over his chest. He had some golden zippers on the sides of his suit. He had two belts with golden belt buckles shaped in a skull and cross bones, and a small gun in one of the sheaths. He was armed with a long gravity saber that he lead with extreme skill to prevent any damage from Harlocks gravity saber. His hazel brown hair was flowing around as he moved, sometimes uncovering the black patch over his right eye. A scar similar to the scar that Harlock had now where showing under the man's left hazel coloured eye, looking at his son with a hard but still in a way soft look.

"But that is..." Zero said shocked as none one had seen this man in a long time and most people said that he was dead. Yet there were not douth abut who this man was.

"Captain Harlock! But he should not be... He cant be... I cant... Wont let me live..." The mad doctor seemed to kinda lose it, He seemed terrified seeing this man. He shook in his chair not daring to move or even breathe. Zero turned to Harlock next to him and found the young pirate smiling to himself. Zero looked back at the screen and came to realise that Harlocks memory was from when he was nine years old. The child seemed to try anything to get a mark on his father.

"Easy, you are trying to hard. you are holding the saber to tight, loosen your grip." The captain said pushing his son from him and cut his arm in the process. young Harlock cringed a bit braving the pain, before coming at his dad again. The captain seemed too smiled as he moved sideways from the first strike and blocked the second.

"There, that's better, always fight with your head first. Always think before you strike, that way you are always a step ahead your opponent." The captain said smiling as his son seemed to take up on what he said. The young Harlock seemed to even become quicker as they kept fighting, but the captain was always ahead of him often cutting his son at points were he could have killed him. After a few seconds it seemed like young Harlock was getting really tired from the fight, using this opportunity the captain striked hitting the boy's sword so hard that it landed on the floor with a bang, as the father held the gunpoint to his sons head. Harlocks hand hurt from the stroke from the father.

"I think this is enough for now... You did well today." The captain said putting the saber back in the sheath at his left side. Young Harlock said nothing as he felt ashamed to lose yet again. Suddenly there was a small nod in his hurting right arm as he looked down he looked down at a young wolf cub. His black fur seemed to hide him in the dark room as two dark blue eyes looked up at him.

"Are you badly hurt?" The cub asked looking a little worried.

"No Fang, I'm okay this time." Harlock said as he carefully petted him behind the ears. He looked up as his dad put on his cape again. The black cape with the red inside covered his back and the red brim, and golden edges made a contrast in the black cape. It was hold together by a skull and crossbones medallion at his chest. The captain turned as another black wolf came upon him. This one fully grown and also had a white scar across his face, going from above his right eye and under his left. Apart from the scar, the markings of black but lighter fur was identical on the two wolfs, making it easy to see that the cub Harlock called Fang was his son. The older wolf had something between his teeth. The captain bent down taking the shiny thing from him.

"Thank you Lightingtooth." He sad looking at it for a few moments, before closing his hand around it. Turning to look at the young boy, the captain seemed almost to sigh, before moving up to him.

"Here, I should have given this to you a long time ago but..." The captain started to say as he gave the boy a watch. Looking down at it, it as an old pocket watch with the skull and crossbones on the lid. Flipping the lid to his surprise he found that the old watch was still working.

"That watch is an old treasure of the Harlock clan as it has been handed down from father to son of over a 1000 years. It is your turn to have it now." The captain said holding a hand at his shoulder.

"But dad, I..." The young boy started to say, but stopped as he saw the almost sad look at his fathers face. Closing his hand around the watch young Harlock nodded.

"I will take good care of it." The old pirate seemed to smile as he heard this, the old wolf smiled as well. Suddenly the door opened and Kei and Tochiro came in, Kei actually holding Tochiro up by his jacket. She dropped him in pure surprise as she did not expert to fin the captain in there as well or to see the young boy bleeding from numerous wounds. Tochiro quickly made his way up to his friend.

"Aiaiai, looks like you two were at it again then? Better get you to the sickbay again." The other nine year old boy said as he looked at the wounds. He was a lot shorter than Harlock and Zero had to smile as he saw them.

"What was it, Kei?" The captain asked as the two boys sneaked pass her followed by the young wolf. As they made their way down the hall towards the sickbay they could hear the two others talk.

"Nothing, sir... Are you sure you should not go a little easier on him? He is still a kid." The young boy heard Kei say, He came to a stop, holding the watch in his hand, closing the hand around it angry.

"If he does not learn how to handle pain, if he does not learn how far he can push his body, then he will die." The captain said coldly.

Zero looked again over at the pirate next to him. He understood now where much of Harlocks strength came from. The memory changed again as the doctor pushed a few buttons but the doctor seemed still terrified by the last memory. As the scan stopped Zero suddenly heard a small chuckle from Harlock. As he turned he saw that the young pirate was grinning. Zero turned back to the screen as he heard a voice.

"Are you sure its gonna work?" Harlock asked his smaller companion in prank crime.

"Believe me, this in gonna work." Tochiro grinned so all his teeth were showing. The cub next to them looked up at them with a bit of worry in his face.

"She'll skin you alive for this, you know that right?" He asked, yet he knew that as the two boys had sett their mind on something nothing could stop them.

"Just tell us when she goes into the shower." Tochiro whispered. The cub turned his finely tuned ears towards the door that they were hiding in front of.

"Now, I think." The cub whispered listening intensely as the first water came on. Suddenly there was a scream so loudly that the three out side the door were nearly knocked of their feet and the scream made every one on broad the Arcadia jump to their feet.

"Oh shit, she is coming." The cub suddenly said and were quickly on his feet and already moving down the hall. The two boys needed a little more time to gather their wits before they set down the hall running for their life, but still could not hold their laugher back. Harlock grinned as he lay their thinking back at all the times they had harassed poor Kei with their pranks. Zero had to grin to himself as he was not sure what the boys had done but he could clearly see that they were in trouble, and big trouble at that.

Fast forwarding a bit more they seemed to return to a point where the two boys were running for their life again, this time chased by a big group of men that was not happy. Zero could out from their shirts and head bands with the skull and crossbones on say that they were pirates. The two boys turned around a corner,

"This way." Harlock called out and ran around another corner, as Tochiro came around the corner Harlock grabbed him and held him up to the wall. Even as hard their hearts raced in their chest they were holding their breath as the heard the pirates kept running passed them. Harlock leaned his head back towards the wall. Gasping for air.

"We need to find some place to hide. This was maybe not our best idea." Harlock said gasping for air.

"You think? And where are we gonna hide? As long as they are running around looking for us there is no place that is safe." Tochiro growled. Harlock looked down the hall. Seeing only one door and an specially beauty full wooden door at that.

"There, we can hide there." He said. Tochiro turned and looked at the door before looking up at his friend like he was nuts.

"You do know that that is the captain's room, right? You wanna hide in there? Where the Great Captain Harlock himself sleeps? We are bound to get captured there." Tochiro said looking at his friend. Harlock did not take his eyes of the door.

"I don't mean hiding in there for a long time, just until they have given up to find us. Then we move back to our hideout." Harlock said looking down at his friend smiling. Tochiro looked back at the door.

"But what is he is in there?" He looked up at his friend worried.

"Not likely not at this time I think. We'll just have to risk it." Harlock said as he moved towards the door. Tochiro looked around there was none one around to see them. As Harlock carefully upend the door he looked in. The room was big and had some great big windows that showed the stars out side. There was a large bed standing up by a wall. Next to the bed there was a chair standing next to a small table. On the table there were a bottle og wine and two glasses standing next to it.

"Looks like we had some luck after all. No one is here." Tochiro sighed relived. There was a bigger chair with the skull and cross bones decorating its top. Harlock moved over to the chair.

"This is dad's chair." He mumbled to himself, as he held on the chair arm. Tochiro stood next to the desk in the room, the only thing standing on it was a feather pen. Tochiro looked up as the only light in the room came from a chandelier hanging from the roof. Tochiro noticed suddenly something black moving behind Harlock.

"Harlock, look out!" Tochiro called as he saw it but the shadow was already moving. Landing hard on Harlocks back, the young boy was thrown into the ground. The shadow moved on, running strait to Tochiro. As the young boy realised that he had no time to move, he got struck down as the shadow slammed his head into him. Tochiro fell backwards and were not moving. The wolf had knocked the wind out of him out of him and he was unconscious. Harlock stood up holding his gun towards the shadow. The shadow turned and he could see that it was really a black wolf. The wolf growled low at him turning all the way around. His black fur shined in the weak light and his fangs and dark blue eyes were shining dangerously. A white scar across his face seemed also go glow in the dark fur. Harlock aimed his gun at him.

"You don't want to do that." The wolf suddenly spoke.

"What? Did you just speak? What the hell are you?" Harlock asked. The wolf seemed to grin.

"Captain Harlocks friend and protector." He said moving one step closer to the boy. Harlock lifted his gun again aiming strait at his head. The wolf snared and were suddenly moving towards him. Even as Harlock was a good shooter, the wolf seemed not to get hit by the bullets. The wolf came straight at him and knocked Harlock in to a wall, knocking the wind out of him as well. As young Harlock sank together the wolf came over to him looking at the young boy with a curious look. Smelling in his sent the wolf realised where he had smelled it before and jumped back in shock.

"Maya… and Harlock, did they?" he asked himself as he looked down on the boy. He looked over to the other boy.

"He called him Harlock…" the wolf said coming over to Tochiro. Sniffing in the young boys sent the wolf sighed.

"And even a kid that smelles of Tochiro and Emeraldas…"

"He is not gonna like this, not gonna like it one bit." The wolf said to himself as he howled out calling for his master.

As young Harlock came to himself again he saw the wolf sitting right in front of him looking at him with a curious look. Harlock were about so stand up when the wolf started to growl at him.

"Sit still if you want to breathe." He said angry. Harlock noticed the skull and cross bones medallion that hang down from the wolf neck.

"You said that you were captain Harlocks protector. What did you mean by that?" Harlock asked looking at the wolf. The wolf turned his head a little looking at him.

"Harlock saved my life as I was a cub. I owe him my life. You can say I only live to give my life to him." The wolf said looking over to Tochiro next to Harlock as he woke up. Tochiro nearly jumped to his feet as he saw the big wolf.

"Easy, Tochiro. So far he does not seem to want to hurt us." Harlock said holding his friend down.

"That will be up to the captain and his friend to decide." The wolf said turning to the door. Tochiro looked as surprised as Harlock had as he heard the wolf talk. The door slided open and in came Captain Harlock himself followed by his best friend Tochiro. The two boys had never really seen them before, only seen their image on the wanted posters. The captain seemed more threatening in real life. The wolf came up to him barking once. The captain come towards them, before stopping put his arms across his chest and looked down on the two boys, Tochiro looked at them with a curious look. Young Harlock and Tochiro stood up, looking back at the two men that were their fathers. Not sure what to say the two boys looked back at them wondering what they were gonna do to them.

"What is your name?" The captain asked looking strait at young Harlock.

"Harlock, Phantom, sir." Harlock said. The captains eye seemed to narrow hearing the name.

Suddenly the memory blacked out as doctor Kichigai had shut the scanner off. The doctor was still in a kind shock after seeing the Great Captain Harlock. He suddenly released Harlock from the scanner. As the scanner went away from his head, Harlock growled in pain. His head felt like it had been through a blender. It hurt and his mind was kinda foggy and unclear. He closed his eyes a few times trying to get his brain to work again. The doctor moved up in front of him looking madder than ever.

"Is your father alive?" He said holding the knife in his hand again. Harlock shook his head trying to make his eyes focus and to get a clear thought.

"I don't know..." He said trying to make sense of his brain. Suddenly the doctor cut his over arm quite deeply at that. Harlock growled in pain but would not scream even at this.

"Where is he? Is he still alive?" The doctor screamed, his eyes glowing in the madness. Harlock did not answered as his head was still to foggy to make any sense out of. The doctor suddenly cut his stomach two times one at each side. Harlock twisted in pain as the blood was coming out.

"Is Captain Harlock Alive?!" He screamed again not giving Harlock time to answer this time, before he gave yet another cut over his right hand this time further down.

"I don't know, and if I did I would still not have told you." Harlock said again this time he was angry. The doctor looked like he was gonna strike again at the pirate holding the knife up.

"Stop it! Harlock does not know, none one knows! He is believed to have died a long time ago. Well so did we also think about you..." Zero said angry. The doctor turned towards him and Zero got a deep cut over his chest again this time spitting the other one in a cross. Zero bit his teeth together and bared the pain. The doctor seemed to breathe heavily and was looking down on the floor. Steadily his breath calmed down and he looked at them with the same sinister look he usual had.

"Now here was I? Oh right, we had came to you my good soldier. Are you ready then?" The doctor asked looking happy again. He did not even look at the wounds he had made on the two men. Zero turned and looked at Harlock. He was bleeding pretty badly and he still seemed confused after the scan. As the scanner came down towards Zero's head again he braced himself.

"It's painful as hell, know that, but we still have a fight to finish. I wont forgive you if you die before that." Harlock growled grinning over to him. As the plates fasted around Zeros head he looked at Harlock in the corner of his eye.

"That goes for you too." He said grinning a bit to himself. The grin quickly changed in to a twisted face as the scanner was going into his head. Like with Harlock the doctor seemed uninterested much of the memories and fast-forward until he found something he wanted to see. Harlock lay still as his head were finally clearing up, his body was sore from the constant torture he had been exposed to and his wounds were bleeding badly. He looked over at Zero wondering if he would survive the scan, His face was twisted in pain and he was struggling in the grip of the metal rings that held him down. The first memories the doctor stopped at was the memories of their fight on the mushroom planet. Harlock looked at himself and had to grin as he saw the fight trough Zeros eyes. What Harlock noticed the most in the fight was how much pain Zero really was going trough as the fight kept on. The wound in his arm and thigh bothered him a lot and Harlock felt a little bad as he did not like fighting someone that was hurt in advance. Yet he had to give Zero credit for keep fighting even as hurt as he was. As the memories changed seeing Zero help him and Emeraldas protect the house Harlock grinned as he too had enjoyed fighting next to him. Zero seemed to grin as well but his grin changes back to a look of pain as the doctor kept looking in to his past.

The next part Harlock got surprised as the Zero had been walking past a big cop that suddenly hit him over the head knocking him out. Zero had awoken in a cell, where he soon after was lead to a pirate how called himself Hunter. Harlock recognised the man as the same one that had attacked them on the mushroom planet. Hunter had wanted Zero to give the Karyu to him in exchange for his life. Zero had refused and got himself pretty badly beaten up but Hunters men. The memory skipped a bit and the next part showered Zero getting shot in his right arm, before getting a knife into his thigh by Hunter as he again refused to give up the Karyu. Harlock grinned a bit coming to the same contusion that Zero had before, that even as much as they tried to deny it, they had much of the similar trades. The memory skipped a bit more. Zero seemed like he remembered this part well, and Harlock understood why perhaps Zero did not like pirates. Even though Harlock would not have accepted anyone saying that he was the same as that lot.

The doctor fast forwarded into Zero's hell castle memories. The doctor looked at the whole fight taking notes on how the human crew and mechanised people got along as they were in deadly danger. Also he took notes over the pirate's ways to defend the planet and most of all defend the Karyu. Harlock looked over at zero, as he as thinking back to that fight himself. That time all in the end had been laying at Zeros shoulders. Harlock had had all his faith in Zero back then and it had prayed off. Zero growled in pain again and twisted as the scan looked ever further back.

The screen flashed a bit before stopping at a part where Zero and his crew saw a fake Death Shadow dumping human bodies down on a small planet. Shooting it down he took his crew down to investigate and got ambushed by the same droides that stood in the corners of the room. Harlock growled as he saw them feeling his hate flow freely through him. He struggled to get lose from the table but his wounds had him stop after a little wile.

_So this is how he found out? Seems like I was right not to tell him. He would not have believed me anyway if I had told him._ Harlock thought to himself seeing the droides pull back from the crew. Zero had tensed his entire body as the scanner had come to this memory.

"So this is why you wanted to defeat the Hell Castle, for the reason of the many people that had been killed. How noble." The doctor said sinisterly. Harlock growled to himself, as he turned his head towards Zero again. Zero lay still before his body suddenly tensed again as the fast-forward happened again. Harlock looked up at the screen and wondered why Zero's face twisted in pain and most of all worry. As the doctor stopped the fast forward Harlock saw through Zero's eyes a few of the crew in the Karyu and they stopped out side a door that suddenly went up and they saw a naked lady in the shower. She screamed out and started to throw anything she had towards them. As the door closed, none of the men really knew what had just happened. Harlock chuckled low for himself. Zero also had a little smile on his face now, as it seemed like the two men found it kinda amusing. The door went up again and a young lady came out of the door presenting her self as the first officer of the Karyu. Zero had froze as he looked at her and it seemed like he was confused. The memory skipped a bit to a part were Harlock saw Zero run into the main computer room that were a blaze and lifted up the first officer trying to get her out. Even as she refused to leave Zero got hurt by the fire trying to protect her. Harlock felt kind strange as he saw that Zero tried to do the same as he had tried for Reia, but Harlock had failed. Harlock closed his hand angry thinking back at his failure. The doctor fast forward a bit to a point where Zero grabbed the first officer and pulled her out of a snow pit, saying words like he needed her and would not give up on her.

"Seems like this woman means a lot to you. How I would not enjoy torturing her in front of your eyes. I can already hear her screams, and see your helplessness." The doctor said grinning to himself.

"If you as much as harm a hair on her head I'll come after you even after I am dead!" Zero snared as he heard that. Harlock could feel his own blood boil as he heard what the doctor said. The doctor laughed at them.

"Yeah, I would like to try that out, but for now I still have more fun to do with you." the doctor said and fast forwarded again. Zero seemed more angry than he was I pain at this point but as they came to the next memory he seemed to smile a bit.

Harlock turned to the screen as it stopped again and this time it stopped as Zero was walking down a hall. As he came out the saw his old ship the Karyu hovering above him in the dark room. He talked with some of the crew members and as the lights came on Zero could see the old ship was back in tip top shape and ready to set out in the stars again. Harlock looked over to Zero seeing his face glow up a bit like his had as he was forced to remember when Tochiro gave him his fathers Death Shadow. The doctor seemed uninterested in this part as well and kept going back into Zero's memories.

"Now here is something interesting." The doctor said as the next memories was coming up. Harlock heard Zero suddenly growl.

"Don't watch this... Don't make me relive this." Zero was whispering to himself growing in pain. The memoires started with Zero walking down a destroyed street holding his wife's favourite flowers in his hand, He turned a corner and found a hole in the ground where his house used to be. He took out the small medallion with the picture of his wife and baby on it. Harlock suddenly realised why Zero had looked so strangely at the officer, as she was dead like his wife. The screen below the picture were searching for them. As a lost lost lost message came up Harlock turned to Zero and looked at him. Zero could not hold his tears back and they were dripping down from his eyes.

"Zero..." Harlock said low.

"So intriguing and what's this?" The doctor grinned as suddenly a group of men had come up behind Zero and were blaming him for failing to protect them from the mechanised men's attack. Harlock felt his blood boil again as he heard the doctor laugh at Zero's pain.

"She was so important to you then?" He laughed before turning the fast forward back on. Zero's face was a mix between pain and the pain from his loss. Harlock growled to himself promising himself to get the doctor for playing with them like that.

The doctor looked shortly at the memories of trying to protect the earth and failing so miserly. He chuckled to himself as a saw all the pain Zero had gone through, as every day he lost someone close to him as the war raged. The doctor turned and looked even farther back in Zero's memories. Before the war even started he had been a captain on a control ship and had a fairly simple life, coming home to his wife that he loved and having every thing he had ever wanted. Then as he came back from one of his patrols his wife met him in the door saying that she had urgent news. Coming in he was worried for that he was gonna get to hear. His pet dog came up to him waging his tail happy. Zero looked down on him smiling as the dark blue eyes looked back at him with a strange glad look.

"Hey Drake," He said as he petted the chocolate brown dogs head.

"Zero, I must tell you something... I.." His wife started to say. Zero felt a poke or worry as his wife seemed to not bring herself to tell him.

"I.. am.. You are... We are.. gonna have a baby." She stuttered out. Zero looked at her disbelieving until it sank in. Grabbing his wife around her waist he swung her around yelling really! Really! She laughed out as the Drake jumped around them barking happy. Harlock turned his head again looking at Zero he saw the tears were still coming out.

"What a beauty full scene. So good that it ended badly. Lets have a look at your little baby shall we?" The doctor grinned enjoying every second that he could torment Zero.

The next scene changed as Zero had upend a door into the baby room and found his wife caring his little girl on her arms, singing low to herself as she had not noticed that he was home. Drake lifted his head and looked at his master but as Zeros signal he did not move. Coming up be hind her Zero lay a hand on her shoulder. Jumping a bit to the touch she turned around and looked at him first with fear in her eyes that turned to happiness as she saw him.

"Yes, yet another beauty full scene of love and peace." The doctor grinned.

"Lets see how you two met." The doctor grinned. Zero seemed to have disappeared into his head not really feeling anything else than his pain.

"Zero..." Harlock said fearing for his friend.

The scene changed into a school. Zero looked around suddenly finding what he looked for. A young girl on his age sat reading on a bench. Hurrying up to her he gave her a white rose. She looked confused as she took the flower.

"You know I cant be your girlfriend, right?" She asked looking at him.

"Why not?" He asked. She smiled kinda sadly towards him.

"Be course I am gonna join the military soon, and I can not be with some one that is not in the military." She said trying to give the rose back.

"Fine then, I'll be a captain of a ship and then you could be be my wife." He grinned. She started to laugh, a laugh that sounded like a melody to Zeros ears.

"You already have it all planed out don't you?" She asked. Zero grinned and nodded.

Harlock looked over at him again. Zero lay with one last tear in his eye, smiling to himself.

"Well that was boring." The doctor said getting back up from the chair as the scanner returned to the roof. He moved in front of the two men again. Zero felt like he had been going trough a mixer himself and tried to get his eyes to focus.

"Well I guess it is time for me to get some new oil. So you two can get some shut eye. You are gonna need it." He grinned as he pulled out the control again. Harlock looked towards Zero narrowing his eyes.

"You are gonna kill him if you do that." Harlock said looking at the mad man with hate in his eyes.

"We'll see then." He looked back at Harlock with a grin. He pushed down the button again and this time both Harlock and Zero were getting zapped. Harlock cursed as he could feel his conscious slipping away. Soon after the two men were ucouncios again.

"Well then, get them back to their cells and bandage their wounds." The doctor said as the four droides came up to him. The mad man moved out of the room, the droides looked down at the two men. It nearly seemed like the cold metal faces grinned.

**Author's Note:**

**Wow this got long. (",)**

**So the third chapter is up and we only have one left to write.**

**There is a big homage to Geminis story Heart of rebellion as well for her fantastic story, read that as well, hint hint.**

**Also there is a bit of a homage to a story she is wrights as of now. Looking forward to seeing it. **

**Also I used more of my wolfs Lightingtooth and his son Fang like young Harlock named him and Drake would does not know that he is one of Lightingtooths clan.**

**Also I gave a small homage to the movie Army of darkness as well.grin**

**I used the name Tesshin as it was the first thing that came to mind, Tesshin I really got from the Anime Ginga Densetsu Weed.**

**Feel free to tell me how I did not this one.**

**Lightingtooth.**


	4. Chapter 4

Zero came back to his senses hanging over one of the droides back. Looking around but not moving, he found himself free of any chains. Turing his head slightly he saw Harlock hanging lifeless over another droides shoulder. Harlock was lying dead still and was bleeding badly. His blood dripped down on the floor.

_Harlock. Please still be alive._ Zero thought as he got ready.

Suddenly he stood up and took hold of the head of the droide that held him. Zero twisted the neck of the droide around. It hurt in every part of Zeros body to do so, since they are made of metal but luckily the droides had weak joints. As the droide fell broken to the floor Zero landed hard on top of the droide. Growling in pain he turned around, and looked up at the other droide. It looked at him with what Zero could make out as hateful look. It had dropped Harlock to the ground an took one of its hands towards Zero's head. Suddenly a gun popped out of its hand.

_Shit, I did not know they had build in weapons. This time I am dead for real._ Zero thought looking up at the cold metal face. Suddenly a shot was fired and the bullet missed Zeros head with only a few centimetres. The droide tipped over to one side and landed hard. Zero pulled himself up and looked at the droide. It was trying to get back up. Zero threw himself over it grabbing it's neck. Twisting it around, Zero was gasping for air. He looked over to Harlock, his feet was still intertwined with the droides legs.

"Are you okay?" Harlock asked. He gasped of air and were apparently in pain. He pulled his feet free from the droide.

"You made it miss.." Zero said looking confused.

"Yeah, I told you, I wont forgive you if you die before we finish the fight." He growled trying to pull himself up. He gasped in pain as he got up standing. He rested his back towards the wall. Zero did not feel any better himself. His body and his head hurt and he feared passing out again.

"At least we got free, now lets get out of there before that doctor comes with that damm control." Zero growled as he started to move down the hall. Their progress was slow as none of them were unhurt, making their every step painful.

"I promise you, when I get my hands on that Doctor, I'll force him to swallow a whole bottle of milk and laugh as he is rusting from inside out." Harlock growled grinning towards Zero. Zero smiled hearing this. "Yeah so will I."

They made their way as fast as their beat up bodys would allow them. Every time they came to a corner, they stopped and looked around it before moving on.

"Do you have any idea were he are heading?" Zero asked. "I don't even know how we will get out of this place."

"I don't really know here we are heading, but I want to put as much distance as we can from this place, before they find out that we are free." Harlock growled as he pushed on. Zero walked a step behind him fearing that the young pirate would fall. Zero was mostly confused and could not focus his mind at anything. Following Harlock he walked in a daze feeling nothing more than the pain in his head and from his wounds.

Suddenly a mechanised man stepped out right in front of them. Harlock stopped looking at him shocked. The man seemed confused, looking at the two bloody humans in front of him, He looked from Harlock to Zero. Suddenly he pulled out a gun from his side. Seeing the gun Harlock jumped at him and grabbed the gun. Zero were right up next to him and helped Harlock push the man in the ground. As Harlock pulled the gun from his hands, Zero broke his neck.

As the man fell to the ground not moving, Harlock held the gun up, showing it to Zero.

"At least we got one gun." Zero said smiling but his smile quickly disappeared as a alarm were suddenly howling in the hall.

"Looks like they found the two droides we got away from. Lets hurry." Harlock growled holding the gun ready and forcing his bleeding body on. Zero followed on right behind him. Harlock lead the way leaning on the wall, as Zero followed his friend on the other side, ready to catch him if he were gonna fall. Zero looked at the wall behind Harlock, there were a bloody line after his wounds on his arm, and he left a blood trail on the floor. Zero knew that it would not be hard for the droides to find them like this.

Suddenly laser bullets were passing their heads as two droides had found them. Harlock gave out a cry of pain as one of the shots just barely missed his back. Harlock fell forwards gasping for air. As Harlock landed on the floor, Zero jumped forwards taking the gun. Turning to the two droides Zero shot two quick shots and took the two droides down.

"Are you okay?" Zero asked looking at the pirate as he pulled himself up. Harlock pulled back up from his stomach. Harlocks shirt hang around his waist and down at his elbows at it had been ripped apart. Harlock struggled back on his feet, gasping for air.

"I am fine, blasted thing just grassed me." He growled and walked on. Zero followed him as it seemed the young pirate had a goal in sight. The alarm was still howling and it made the two men nervous as they moved on down the hall. It seemed like any minute now they were gonna get corned and killed. Zero looked around every corner and held the gun at the ready for any more trouble that would come their way.

As they came around another corner Harlock sighed as he finally saw what he had been looking for.

"Finally, the hanger, this is got to be it." He said resting a bit at the wall. Zero looked at him.

"Do you think there is a ship that can get us out of here?" He asked not sure if they really had that kinda luck. Harlock looked at the door not answering. Zero sighed and looked at the door after making sure that no one had come up behind them.

"We have to chance it. If not we are dead anyway." Harlock said and started to move down to the door. As the door slided open the two men moved quickly inside looking around. Luckily there was no one there, but there was no escape ship to be had neither. Harlock looked around looking desperately for something that could be used.

"I don't know... It seemed like something lead me in here..." He whispered to himself, he felt dizzy from the blood loss and fell to his one knee.

"Harlock." Zero called running to his friends side. Harlock looked like he was gonna faint any second.

Suddenly the door opened and four droides came running in, shooting as they went.

"Harlock, we have to move." Zero said pulling his friend up, supporting him as he pulled him behind some crates. The blast shots just nearly missed them.

"Harlock, hang on. Remember our promise. Don't you die on me before we have had a chance to finish our fight." Zero growled as he shot after the droides, only giving Harlock a quick look. Harlock seemed to come back to his senses hearing this. Harlock pulled himself up resting his back on one of the crates.

"Yeah, just wish I had a gun too. Right now I cant do a thing." He said looking over the crates. Zero nodded. Suddenly the door opened again and this time four new droides come in followed by the mad doctor. Harlock growled as he saw him. Same did Zero, he gave Harlock a quick look.

"We are in trouble... The gun is just about out of juice." Zero said worried. Harlocks eyes narrowed, but he did not answer.

"You two can just as well give up. There is no where to run." Doctor Kichigai grinned.

Harlock looked at Zero. They smiled as their eyes met. No one of them where ready to give up even as bad as the situation were for them.

"Forget it, as long as we both draw breath, we wont give up." Zero called out fireing at two of the droides to prove his point. The doctor grinned as Zero said this.

"Fine, as long as you draw breath you say?" He grinned and pulled out the control. Harlock gave Zero a suffering look that could be translated as _you had to say that, dident you_. Zero had a look of pain in his eyes as both men knew what was comming. Harlock turned around looking at the doctor, twisting his brain to find some way out of this trap. Suddenly the ring around his and Zeros neck glowed up and burned their skin. A world of pain fell over the two again. Harlock fell forwards as the first wave of pain began and slammed his head into a crate, still he manged to hold on to his consius even as blood started to come down over his left eye. Zero were holding on to one of the crates, feeling every cell in his body scream as the currents were going trougth him.

The doctor laughed as he saw the two mens pain and suffering. Harlock looked up at him, forcing himself to do so, even as much pain as he was in, giving the doctor a killing look. The doctor looked back at him grinnng as Harlock closed his eyes in pain as another current whent through him. As sudden as the pain had begun, it stopped. Harlock opened his eyes and looked at the mad man.

"Listen.." Zero growled in pain to his friend. A new alarm was buzzing, a sound the made the doctor look confused.

"Whats going on here?!" Doctor Kichigai called to his droides. Suddenly the door opend and two new droides came running in.

"Sir, there is an unknown ship closing in us fast and our wepons are doing no dammage to it at all." One of the droides said.

"Did you fools start shoting?" The doctor said and pushed one of the buttons. The ring around the droids neck glowed up and instantly killed the droid.

Zero looked at Harlock confused but could not help but feel a small flikker of hope. Harlock fellt the same way. They did not know if the ship even was a friend to them or if they would soon find themself in a worse situation. Yet any thing was better than this mad man and his rings of tourture. Still they were not safe yet, they were still pinned down in the room as the droides were holdign them at gun point.

"We are inside a meteor, any ship would pass by us, if they did not get fired on!" The doctor screamed to the other droide.

"Yes sir, but this ship were heading strait for us, as it seemed it wantet to crash ito us. As it did not slow down, we caltulated that it would be best to fire before it did crash." The driode said. The doctors face were nearly glowing in hate and was gonna say something, but had to stopp as the whole meteor had started to shake.

"What the hell is going on?!" The doctor screamed again. The meteor bace were now shaking pretty badly and the droids were having trouble standing uprigth. The doctor fell over and Harlock and Zero were ducking down behind the crates, holding on to anything they could.

Suddenly strait trougth the wall, behind Harlock and Zero, almost up at the tall rooms roof, a gigant knife were cuting ist way trougth. The blade were followed by a white skull and cross bones, making out the bow of a green ship.

Harlock stood up, reconising the ship.

"The Arcadia!" He said, forgeting about the danger. Zero grabed his arm and pulled him back down under the crates.

"Thats your Arcadia?" Zero asked looking up a th the green ship. Harlock shook his head.

"Not likely. Tochiro is still far from having it complete, and much less flying. That would mean..." He said first looking at Zero and then turning his head up at the ship again as he cut himself off. The doctor were standing again looking at the ship with fear in his eyes.

"Thats not possible!" He said looking at the ship. Four of the droides had their guns still turned on the two men behind the crates and the other four at the the ship.

"Shit, even with the confusion, we cant get out of this." Zero growled looking at the droides. "We are still pinned down." He said looking at the pirate. Harlock had not taken his eyes of the ship and suddenly his pale face seemed to shine. Zero looked up at the ship as he suddenly heared the unmistakble sound of footstepes coming from the ship. He could, in his still fussy brain, make out only one that sounded human, It had a sligth kliking sound like metal hiting metal, to its steps. He could not make out if their were two more or even four more at the other sound. The doctor suddenly gasped as a black shadow came to the end of the bow. A young black wolf looked down at the group, followed by an unmisttakelble man. Dressed in a black suit with a white skull and crossbones over the chest, having a black cape with a red inside. His hazel brown hair fell in palce as he stopped. His one hazel eye looked over the group, first looking at the doctor and his droides. The doctor deared not move and were shaking as he met the mans eye. His eye glowed in hate as he looked on him. He looked over at Zero and Young Harlock as the young wolf suddenly barked. Seein the two men his eye widend. Up to the young wolf suddenly an apperently grown wolf steped up. As the two wolfs stood side by side, it was easy to see that the younger one had to be his son, as he looked presisly the same. Only he did not have the scar his dad had, crossing in a strait line between the eyes. The older wolfs eyes narrowed as he saw the two and the state they were in. The young wolf whined looking at them. Young Harlock stood up again looking up at the man.

"Dad..." He said not taking his eyes from him. The older capain Harlock gave his son a look that showed joy and at the same time compasion for his sons wounds. Suddenly it seemed that his father relised something looking at his son. Pulling up his Cosmo Dragon the captain aimed the gun at his son. Young Harlock did not move an inch. Zero woundered it his friend had lost his mind and were stranding up to push him away. The captain took two rapid shots firering one at his son and the other at Zero. His shots were well amed as the bullet just nearly missed their necks. The two painful rings fell to the ground with a metal clang. Zero frose as he relised how close that had been, yet he was happy to have that damm ring of his neck. His and Harlocks neck had a bleeding wound where the ring had been, going all the way around their necks. Young Harlock looked up at his dad. The captain smiled faintly.

"Those things hurt. Belive me I know." The captain said. Young Harlock smiled as well. Zero stood next to young Harlock now. The catain looked at him for a few secounds looking at his suit, quicly reconising him as military. The captain moved his look over to the doctor again.

"I warned you along time ago, that if I ever found you out here in the sea of stars that I would kill you, and here I find you tourturing my son?" The captains voice were as ice cold as his eye. The doctor shiverd where he stood not dearing to talk back. The young wolf were shaking in anger and his fangs were shining white, as his eyes smeed to glow in hate. His angerd snarring was loud and clear. The older wolf had the same cold eyes as the captain and a low snaring were growling in his trouth. Zero looked at the doctor and wondered why he had been warrend by the Great Captain Harlock before.

"You know I did what the goverment told me to. They wanted to know your hideout." The doctor said.

"And for that you tortured one of my men to death, as he would not tell, even as you gave him the final blow." The captains voice were even more icey as he said this and the older wolfs drew his lips back showling his fangs. The doctor shviverd and made a few steps back as he walked in to the droide behind him. Suddenly coming to relise that he still had them, his eyes glowed back in the madness he had shown before.

"What are you wating for? Shot him down!" He screamed. The eith droids that had been waiting for the order took aim at the captain and the two wolfs.

"Dad!" Young Harlock called out as the first bullts were coming at them. The captain did not move and inch and neither did the wolfs and it seemed that none of the droides were hitting them. The doctors eyes widened as he relised that the ship bow was covering them.

"Shot the other two. Dont let them escape!" He called. The droides took aim at the two men that had no time to move back in cover. Zero belived that they were dead for sure when suddenly something black landed behind them. Jumping strait over the two men, two black shadows landed shortly, before flying towards the two droids that were stanidn in front. Before Zeros eyes could se the movement the shadows had done, the two droids fell apart. The two shadows spilt up, moveing towards the next two and yet moved in perfect sync with to other one, and two more of the droides fell. The four remaning droides tried to step infront of the doctor and fell apart, as the two sahdows moved cross for each other and cut the meatl apart. Coming to a stop the two wolfs turned and looked at the two men to see if they had been hurt. Zero looke at the two wolfs amased, and Harlock were smiling to his friends. The older one turned back at the doctor, snaring as he came up to him. The doctor backed of so quickly that he fell backwards an crawled away from the aproching wolf. The wolfs deep blue eyes glowed in hate and his white fangs were ony milimeters from the doctors face, growling as he moved closer. As the wolf forced him up against a wall, his meatl body shut down.. The warring from Catain Harlock had plased a deep fear in his soul and his metal body could not handel the strain from the feeling that were over running the cirtits in his body. his body just shut down out of fear. Ligthingtooth growled as he relised that he was out cold. The young wolf ran up to the bleeding young Harlock smiling happy as he finaly met his friend and master again.

"Fang!" Harlock called and sat down petting the wolfs head. Ligthingtooth moved back to them smiling. Captain Harlock jumped down on the floor and came towards them. His face not showing an emotion. Young Harlok stood back up meting his fahers eye. As the captain came to a stop in front of him, the capain crossd his arms over his chest and turned his head sligthly to the left, giving his son a sarcastic look.

"How come when everytime we met again, I find you more beaten up that last time?" The catain asked. Harlock did nt answer, as there seemed not to be any good answer to that.

"How did you find us dad? He said that no siganals he did not want to could not get out of the meteor." Young Harlock asked looking at his father. The older pirate smiled.

"Do you still have the old watch I gave you?" He said looking at his son with a kind look. Young Harlock put his hand down in his pocket and pulled out the watch. The captains eye smeed to soften even more seeing his son had taking good care of it.

"The Arcadia picked up a signal that we have not picked up in a long long time." The captain smiled as he took the watch from him.

"The last time we picked up that signal, it saved my life. My friend had put a tracker on my belt, that helped them find me when I was trapped. After that insident, Tochiro put that kind of tracer on everything almost. But I did not know that he had put one on the wacth as well." He smiled and pontied to the skull and cross bones mark. In the skulls left eye there were a smal red ligth shininng. The captain gave the watch back to his son.

"As the Arcadia picked it up, it took off to find the tracker giveing out the signal. As it is only the Arcadia that can pick up this singal." He smiled.

_He made it almost sound like the ship had its own will._ Zero though as he heard this. Young Harlock hold the wacth up to his chest. His hand closed hard around the watch, He looked at his father, his face were showing no emotion.

"Harlock?" The young wolf asked looking at him feeling a sudden change in his friend. Harlocks eyes turned glassy and his face paled even more.

"Harlock!" Zero called as the young pirate fell forward, trying to chatch his friend. The catain was quicker and took him as he fell. Sitting down on his knees, he held his son in his arms, fearing for his sons life. Fang were whining next to him begging for a movement from his master. Ligthing were standing behind his friend trying to calm his own son as he feared the worse for the young man. Zero sat down next to them, his eyes wide of fear. Suddenly to the others relif, young Harlock looked up at his dad, his eyes still glassy.

"Sorry to chase so much trouble, dad." He said. The capain smiled relived. Zero exhaled as he had not even notised that he was holding his breath. Suddenly Fang quickly turned around and his father were snarring in warring. The doctor were suddenly up and moving again, holding a gun in his hand, his eyes shined in madness.

"Break them or kill them! Breake them or kill them! Breake them or kill them!" He skremed ponting the gun towards young Harlock. Ligthing's eys were glowing in hate and his fangs were shinening as his snarr deeped. Zero feelt a cold chill go down his spine untill he turned and saw the look in the capains eye. Ever before and never again, did he see a look like that. It was ice cold, with a deeper hate that anything he had ever seen before, that made the room feel dark and cold all of a sudden.

"Breake them or kill them!" The doctor screamed again, apperently completly lost his mind. Suddenly the young wolf was moving.

"Fang!" Ligthing called out but the younger one did not hear him. Runing as fast as he could, he came up to a speed were you could hardly see him. He jumped towards the doctor and just as the doctor took the shot, his fangs cut clean through his metal rigth hand. As the hand feel down on the floor still holding the gun, the wolf slamed into the wall as he could not stop in that speed. Falling to the floor, he lay still for a few secounds. He pulled his badly beaten body back up and shook his head, his body still shaking and gasping for air.

"Fang..." The older wolf said apperently surprised.

"That was the ligthing attack." The capatain said just as surprised as him. Young Harlock looked at his friend, as he pulled of an attack that only Ligthing could do and also named him Ligthingtooth. Even in his fussy mind he was impresed. Fang had been trying his whole life to get the teknic rigth but had never pulled it of before.

Suddenly the doctor moved again pulling out the knife from his pocket, useing his left hand and attacked the young wolf. Fang was parazied in pain from the meting with the wall and could not move away. The knife cut him ove his nose bone. The wolf cryed out in pain and he forced his body to move away from the next swing.

"Break, break, kill, kill!" The doctor said over and over as he moved toward the young wolf. Ligthing were runing towards the mad man to help his son when the capatians voice called out.

"Ligthing! Stay!" He called, pulling out his Cosmo Dragoon. The black wolf stopped infront of the mad man making him turn towards him and the captain. The captains eye were glowing in hate as he took the shoot. One single laser bullet made its way towards the doctor. The bullet passed throutgh his head and the dead life less body of the mecanised doctor Kichigai fell to the ground. Pices of his broken head fell over the floor and a strange glowing oval thing landed at Fang's feet. He looked up at his father. He nodded slowly and the young wolf snapped it up braking the pice in small bits so that the doctor could not get a new body. His father came up to him as he spit out the pices. His eyes shined kindly to him as he came to a stop.

"You did great today." He said. Young Harlock smiled weakly and passed out from the blood loss.

_He has been holding on to his consens for a long time. Any one else would have died by now._ The great Captain Harlock smiled as he stood up, lifting up his son in his arms.

Fang and Ligthing looked at them. Ligthing turned back at his son looking at the cut on his face.

"Dont worry, its not so deep. It wount make a scar." He said as his son looked up at him worried. He licked over his sons nose, licking the blood away from his fur. His son smiled and moved back to the captain with his dad.

"How is he?" Ligthing asked before his son could.

"He'll be alrigth, The wounds are not to deep but some will proberbly leve scars, and he has lost a lot of blood. But nothing life treachening yet." The capain answered before turing to Zero.

"Lookes like you and my son were being tortured together. Come on borad and we'll have a look at your wounds." The capain said turning away from him again. Zero looked confused but suddenly his head were spinning. After everything that had happened, he had hold his dizzyness back and now it hit him like a ram. Figthing to keep his balance, he belived he was gonna pass out, when suddenly a hand landed on his shoulder. He turned to se a strange woman with blue hair and blue skin.She was dressed in a smiple purple dress that made her look divine in a way to Zero's eyes. Her eyes were yellow and had no pupils but what Zero kinda looked at the most was that she had no mouth.

"Surport yourself at me. I'll help you."She said taking his left arm over her sholder.

"Who are you?" Zero asked figthing to stay consius. She seemd to smile with her eyes in a way.

"I am Mimee, a woman how gave her life to Harlock." Her answer seemed to puzzel Zero even more. As she surported him, following the captain and the wolfs back into the Acadia, he woundered about her words, and what was gonna happen now. Soon after he finally fell into the darkness and were uncosius again.

**author's note:**

**sorry for all the speling erros as soon as I find the time for it I'll fix it. Promise!**

**Wow so this too got kinda long.**

**I was planing to have this as the final chaper and put in everything in the next one in here, but I relised that that would make the chaper far to long. So that will come in the next one, as this story is not quite done just yet (",)**

**There is a lot of refances in this chapter as well. the whole milk, rusting from the inside out thing, I took from the GE 999 1 movie.**

**Also I used a grat deal of things from my hunters pray fic. I also put in a small homage to Gemini's fics Don't Pay the Ferry Man and her Heart of Rebelion in this one as well.**

**This chaper was heavyly inspiered by Geminis two images: Unbreakeble Will and a Fathers Wrath, both being in her gallary on Fanart Central. I tried to get as close to the two images as I could, in describing them into my story. Hope i did not fail miserably. **

**Thank you, Gemini, for keeping me inspired and always giving me the high ligth of the day, with always a new email of some sort.**

**Ligthingtooth.**


	5. Chapter 5

Zero came back to his senses with a still splitting headache. Looking up at a yet another unknown roof he wondered what kind of torture he would have to face this time. Finding himself free of any chains or similar and found his wounds bandaged, and this time not by any droide as it was easy to see, Zero wondered where he really was. Pulling his sore body up in a sitting position, he looked around. He found Harlock next to him laying still, resting on a hospital bed like the one he was in. Next to young Harlock the black wolf lay and looked at him with his dark blue eyes. Zero held his look only for a few seconds before turning to look around some more. Finding himself in what looked like a sick bay, he felt a bit more at ease as he remembered that the mad doctor had been killed and that they had been saved. Still knowing that he had been saved by one of the most notorious pirates in the whole sea of stars he could not help but feel a like going from the frying pan and into the fire.

_Might as well have been saved by the Great Lady Emeraldas._ Zero grinned to himself. He turned to look down again as he heard the wolf growl. The wolf had not taken his eyes of him and looked at him with a hard look, growling as he had seen the smile. Zero looked over at young Harlock. His deep wounds were bandaged and he looked like he was sleeping peacefully. Looking back down at the wolf he realized that the wolf was nearly baring his teeth. Zero smiled faintly.

"No need to worry as I have no intention of doing any harm to your friend." He said smiling. The wolf did not change his look in his eyes but his lips stopped trembling. Zero took his feet up in the bed and rested his head on his knees. He looked at the wolf and found himself thinking back to Harlock's memories.

"Fang... was it?" He asked looking at the wolf. The wolf turned his ears to the name, giving Zero a clear yes. Zero smiled as he saw that yet he could not help himself from thinking about his own dog Drake. As sure as he was that Drake had been killed under the war, seeing Fang and how much he reminded him of Drake, he wondered if he was wrong.

Suddenly young Harlock moved with a growl of pain. Fang jumped to his feet and stood up on his back legs supporting himself to the bed by his front legs, holding his head next to his masters. He whined low in his ear hoping to get a reaction. Harlock upend his eyes and turned his head towards him.

"Fang..." He said seemingly as confused as Zero had been waking up. The wolf barked once and rested his head next to him. As painful as it was to Harlock, he stretched his hand and petted the wolfs head. He pulled himself up a bit growling as it hurt to do so.

Zero looked at him still feeling bad for him looking at the many wounds he had, as himself he only had two deep ones. Harlock looked over the bandages and grinned.

"If I know doctor Zero right, and not to mention the smell of the bandages, these wounds were cleaned with sake." He said and grinned to Zero.

"Sake? Zero?" Zero asked and looked at him confused. Fang seemed to grin as well as he saw the look the military man gave them.

"Believe me, be glad you were unconscious." Harlock said and petted Fangs head, as the wolf seemed to chuckle, remembering the many times doctor Zero had spit sake all over young Harlock's wounds and the scream the useably followed..

"Where is doctor Zero anyway?" Harlock said looking around.

"He told me to keep an eye on you two as you would wake up soon, and he wanted to tell Captain Harlock in person." Fang suddenly spoke. Even as he had seen the wolfs talk in Harlock's memories and as they were saved it still shocked Zero to see it again. Harlock grinned seeing Zero's reaction.

"Then we will have visitors soon." He grinned again.

"Sooner than you think, old friend, I can already hear the captain's and Kei's footsteps, and yes, she is not to happy about that last prank you pulled on her. I thought she was gonna have a heart attack when you pretended to be possessed by the Noo. I have never seen her as angry as she was after that, be glad you were safely onboard the DeathShadow. I just hope she goes easy on you as you are still hurt." Fang grinned seeing his friend's look as he said the name Kei.

"So do I, my friend." Harlock sighed and gave Zero a look of worry.

The door slided open and as Fang said Captain Harlock and Kei came in closely followed by Lightingtooth. Behind them a small man with a white doctor's suit came in.

The old wolf looked at his son with a kind smile, as his son smiled for the first time since young Harlock had been broth on board. He had not left his masters side for the three days that had followed, waiting for his master to come back. Lighting could not help but think back to the many times he had sat waiting by Captain Harlock's bed when he had been hurt. Remembering especially a time when Harlock had been badly hurt after been thrown back in time by nine hundred years, to fight a mad man that had nearly killed his master then. It had left the captain unconscious for nearly two months before he had come back. Lighting snared remembering the incident clearly.

The captain crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the two men with a faint smile as the doctor made his way over to Zero and checked on his wounds before doing the same with young Harlock, both of them cringing in pain as he checked the wounds.

"Both of you are coming along swiftly. A few more days and you'll be as good as new." The doctor said sitting down on a bed and pored in some sake in a glass.

Kei, a young woman stood next to her captain. She was dressed in a pink suit with the skull and cross bones mark at her chest. She turned her head slightly to the side and looked at young Harlock with her blue eyes. Her golden hair moved gently as she did. Young Harlock made a grimace seeing her.

"Yo, Kei." He said as he smiled and held two of his fingers up to his head and gave a quick wave away from his head, in a standard Harlock greeting. The captain grinned seeing his son do this, as that was his greeting.

"Don't think you'll get of that easy. I still have a hard training round you'll have to do perfect in." She said showing that she was not gonna let him get away with his pranks without punishment. Young Harlock bit his lip showing that he was not looking forward to it.

"Told you." Fang whispered to his friend. Lighting grinned knowing that Kei would not be kind to the young pirate. Zero felt bewildered as the young pirate he had come to know and trust suddenly seemed like a young kid.

The captain looked at his son with a smile and a small sigh.

"I see you are still the same at least." The captain said looking at his son. Young Harlock grinned towards his father. Even as the captain seemed to show no real emotions Harlock noticed that his father seemed relived to se his son unchanged by the torture. He had heard from Tochiro sr. once that after the incident with the bounty hunters long ago that as Tochiro and the crew had come and saved him for the few moments after they had entered the captain had seemed even colder and harder than ever, but Tochiro had been glad that it had passed. Young Harlock looked at his father and understood why his dad had been like that. Being tortured like they both had, it was hard to keep his good mood. Still being alive and being back at the Arcadia young Harlock could not help but feel refreshed. The captain smiled and closed his eye.

"I suppose you two need to contact your ships. I have a feeling someone is not gonna be too happy if you let him wait any longer." The captain grinned opening his eye and looked at his son with a small smile. Young Harlock nearly seemed to pale.

"Oh shit." He said closing his eyes with a small sigh, remembering just what his dad was hinting to. Kei grinned as she too knew. Zero looked at him confused on just what could make the pirate pale like that. Fang chuckled at the face Zero made.

"He is not gonna be happy. Not at all." He said and looked up at young Harlock again.

"Come to the bridge as soon as you feel ready for it." The captain said and turned around leaving the room with Kei and Lighting to see if they could contact the DeathShadow and Karyu.

Fang looked at Harlock with a bit of worry in his face as Harlock were forcing his hurt body up.

"Are you sure you want to do this now?" He asked. Harlock moved painfully over to the suits that lay over the other bed. Pulling his away from Zero's, he lifted it up and sighed as he realised that it was no way he could put that one back on. The top part was ripped apart and it was covered in his blood. He sighed looking at it.

Zero stood up and moved over to Harlock. Taking his shirt he found that the cut on the chest had been sowed nicely and you could hardly see it at all.

"Kei fixed it." Fang said looking at the confused military captain with a small smile. Zero turned and looked at the wolf.

"She first tried to fix yours Harlock, but it has hopeless so she fixed this in stead." Fang said and pulled out a suit from a box next to the chairs against the wall. Harlock took the suit from him and held it up. Recognising some of the sown cuts in the suit Harlock suddenly realised that this was the suit he was wearing the day the Arcadia found him drifting after the Noo's attack on the prison satellite he had been on a wile back. His face seemed to pale even more remembering all, that he been trough during that time. Fang whined as he saw this and remembered how he and the clan had been called home to the Luviji planet by the great leader and had not been there to help them. Harlock smiled faintly hearing the sound and gently petted his head. Zero looked at them smiling faintly to himself. Harlock seemed to be so much more relaxed now.

The two men got dressed in silence, only sounds made were the sometimes painful growls that came as they moved on the wounds.

"He did sure did a good job on us. How would think that a man like that could take so much pleasure in hurting others?" Zero hissed as he tried to close the shirt. Harlock grinned for a second before darkening again.

"What surprised me was the fact that he invented those hell made rings." He said looking into the wall. As he carefully and painfully started to pull up the top part of his suit.

"Your father said that he knew how painful it was...Have he been a prisoner of Kichigai as well?" Zero asked as he finally got the shirt closed. Fang seemed to start to shake in anger as he heard the name and as well remembered the wounds on the captain as he had first came onboard the Arcadia. Young Harlock turned his head to the military captain.

"Dad was once captured by some Bounty hunters long ago that used a more raw version of the rings. Something that makes me think that the doctor sold the first version of it to a lot of bounty hunters and similar creeps, before he was banished. I was also told that Emeralds suffered at those blasted things." Harlock growled. Zero realised what that could mean and looked at him wide eyed.

"And then after the banishment he upgraded them with the help of the Mech Empire's help. Who knows if the Mech Empire had more of them made? They can force humans to give up their bodies in exchange for the pain to stop." Zero shook in anger and his fist were closed tightly. Harlock looked at him and smiled.

"Well then, captain, what are you gonna do?" He grinned and closed his suit. The suit covered up all the wounds on his arms and chest and the only one seen was the bandage around his neck. Zero's wounds were also covered by the suit, showing only the bandage around his neck, but the cut on his face were not covered by any thing and shined up.

"Ah sorry about that. I had no more small patches left." Doctor Zero said suddenly, making the two men jump a little as they had forgotten that he was there. Zero stroked a gloved finger across it looking at his face in a mirror.

"Will it leave a scar?" He asked looking at the doctor in the mirror. Doctor Zero shook his head as he petted a orange cat with brown stripes. Mii-kun purred in his lap sleeping peacefully, Fangs smiled hearing the purr.

"It better not." Harlock muttered to himself.

"No luckily it was not deep enough for that. It will fade in a few weeks." Doctor Zero said. Harlock smiled, but looked down as Fang nudged his hand. Between his Fangs he held something white. Harlock took it from him looking at Fang curiously.

"Kei had them in her hand as she came in. she must have dropped them." Fang said waging his tail.

"She has sat here with you for the three days you were out cold, sowing on those two things. She only said that it was something she was gonna give you later." Fang said sitting down. Harlock looked at the two pieces of cloth. Looking a little closer he suddenly realised what she had been sowing. On both of the cloths there were a mark sown in. He gave one of them to Zero only giving him a quick look. Zero took it and looked at it, it was a white scarf, on one of the ends Kei have sown in the mark of the terrestrial army, the golden dragon head over the earth. His eyes widening as he saw this. He looked at Fang.

"Why would she make this for me?" He asked. Fang turned his head to one side and looked at him.

"Why not? You did help young Harlock after all." Fang said not seeing the small smile on young Harlock's face. He was taking his scarf around his neck, a black skull and crossbones mark on the end. Fang smiled seeing his master stand up to his full height. The scarf covering the bandage around the neck and making Harlock look as strong as ever. Zero took the scarf around his neck as well and looked at the pirate.

"Let's go find our ships shall we?" Harlock asked lifting an eyebrow towards him. Zero nodded and Harlock and Fang lead the way up to the Arcadia Battle Bridge.

------------------------

Captain Harlock sat grinning to himself as the message came through.

"Captain Zero! Come in captain, do you read me?" A female voice called.

"Typical Military. As soon as their leader is missing they run around like headless chickens." Yattarn said looking over to the captain.

"They are just inviting trouble their way calling out on all frequencies that their captain is missing." Kei said and looked worried over to Harlock. He sat still petting Lightning's head. The wolf smiled and turn to see Young Harlock enter the bridge with Fang and Zero.

"Come in Zero, come in!" The voice called again. Zero's eyes widened hearing the voice.

"Marina!" He said looking first at young Harlock and then over to the captain. Captain Harlock nodded and Zero moved over to one of the side panels and opened the comlink.

"Marina, do you read me?" Zero called out. Young Harlock grinned and looked down at Fang. The wolf waged his tail and whined low.

"Zero! Are you okay? Where are you?" The face of the first officer came up on the small screen. Her blue eyes were tearful as she finally had gotten hold of her captain. Young Harlock looked at her from where he stood and thought back to Zero's memories of her. He growled as he remembered the comment Kichigai had said about torturing her just to pain Zero even more. Fang wined as he noticed how tense his friend had turned.

"I have been better, and you would not believe me if I said where I was." He said smiling kindly to her. Her face lighted up as she could see his face, and soon the screen was full with the other members of the bridge crew trying to see him.

"Captain!"

"Captain, you are all right!"

"Captain!" The crew called. Every one of them seemed relived to see that he was aright, but their faces seemed to pale as they saw the wound on his face.

"Captain!"

"Your face, captain!"

"Who did this?" They seemed angry to see that he was hurt. Zero lifted a hand to make them calm down.

"Don't worry, it looks worse than it is. I am okay. And the one guilty is dead." Even Zero's voice seemed to tense as he remembered Kichigai.

"Tell them that we are sending some coordinates to them. Tell them they can pick you up there." Kei suddenly said from the side line. Zero looked at her and nodded.

"They are sending some coordinates that we are heading to now. Met me there." Zero said and looked strait at Marina. He wanted to tell her everything and how much she meant to him but he held it back.

"We are reserving the coordinates now and will head strait to them, but who are you hitching a ride with?" She asked. She looked at him worried as he got a strange happy light in is eyes.

"The Arcadia of the Great Captain Harlock himself." He said not noticing the smiles on the crew of the Arcadia as well as the two Harlocks and their wolfs.

The faces of the crew paled hearing the name.

"Are you..." Marina asked looking worried.

"Not sure yet." He said quickly cutting her off.

"Met me there." He said and shut the screen down. He turned to se young Harlock look at him with grin.

"Where are we going?" Zero asked looking at the captain. Harlock looked at him showing no emotions.

"We are heading to Pirate island number 3. One of our many bases." Kei said looking at him.

"Pirate Island?" Zero asked looking confused.

"You'll see." Young Harlock said. He sat down in one of the chairs calling up the Deathshadow on the frequency of the Free Voice of the Arcadia. Fang looked at him concerned as he worried for the strain on his wounds, he sat next to him and looked at the screen as a familiar face popped up.

Young Harlock smiled recognising the face of his best friend Tochiro. Tochiro with his large classes and big hat looked surprised as he saw young Harlock.

"Yo, Tochiro!" Young Harlock said and waved his two fingers again.

"BAKA!" The small Japanese screamed out making some of the crew jump. Fang made a face as he shook his head to hear again.

"Where the hell have you been?! We have been death worried for you. And here you show up like nothing has happened? I am gonna chop you down to my size when we met again!" Tochiro screamed making young Harlock look worried. The captain smiled as he heard this remembering all the times he to had gotten his ears chewed off by Tochiro Jr's sire. The ship seemed to shake a bit almost like the ship itself had to chuckle at the yelling of the young engineer, only broadening the smile of the captain and Lightingtooth. Zero looked around wondering if he only had felt it, still as young Harlock tried to calm Tochiro down he had to smile realising why Harlock had paled as the captain had mentioned some one being angry. Young Harlock gave up to explain and let Tochiro get it off is chest, his yelling almost making the Arcadia shake.

"And where the Hell are you!?" Tochiro screamed. At this Fang smiled and made his presence known.

"Where do you think?" He asked smiling to his friend. Tochiro were speechless seeing the young wolf.

"The Arcadia... Are you okay?" The engineer seemed more worried now as he realised that would mean that the young pirate had been in real danger and had been saved by his dad.

"This is as bad as I have been, since the Noo attack but I am getting better." He said not lying to his friend. Tochiro seemed to pale.

"We are going to the pirate island three. Would you mind picking me up there?" Young Harlock said trying to calm his friend.

"Yes... yes we'll head there right now. I'll let Emeraldas know as she is out looking for you as well." Tochiro said and the screen went dark. Young Harlock sighed and fell back in his chair growling in pain as he did. Fang looked worried again.

"How far away are we from the island, dad?" He asked and turned to his father. The elder Harlock smiled. "

Three days. It would probably take your ships that long to get there as well. Rest out for now. You have good time before that." He said stroking Lighting again. Young Harlock smiled looking down on Fang.

"Then I'll take a walk around the ship. It's been a long time since last I was here." The elder Harlock smiled, knowing how he felt as he had when he got to wander around his old ship the Deathshadow, now his son's ship.

"Your room has been kept like you left it." Lighting said smiling. Young Harlock smiled as he stood up but got surprised as Kei grabbed his shirt brim and pulled him towards the door.

"If you have the time of that, you can first finish your rounds in the training room, as you remember I still have to pay you back for the last prank you did." She growled to him and dragged him with her. Fang followed looking at them worried. Lighting chuckled low and smiled to his master. The elder Harlock grinned as well. Many of the crew were laughing as they saw this. Zero felt a little bad for the pirate but quickly realised that he did not know what he was to do. Was he the great pirate captain's prisoner or... he looked at him wondering what he was.

The captain looked at him for a few moments and stood up. Coming up to him he laid an arm on his shoulders. His hazel brown eye looked at him.

"There is a room prepared for you, feel free wander around as you please." He said and moved over to the window looking out on the stars. Zero looked at his back before looking over the crew. He was not sure what to do when his stomach suddenly growled. Deciding to see if he could find the canteen he left the bridge.


	6. Chapter 6

As Zero made his way trough the Arcadia looking around he was astonished.

_This is a great ship. I wonder who build her? The Karyu would probably not stand a chance against it._ Zero smiled to himself as he kept going, thinking about the many stories he had heard about the Arcadia and the Great Captain Harlock. He suddenly realised that he had been wandering for so long, that he had no idea where he was any more.

"Great. now what?" He asked himself as he looked around. Hearing a sound from a few halls down, he moved towards it.

Coming around the corner, he suddenly tripped over something soft.

Crying out a yelp of surprise, he fell over and landed on his chest, blowing the wind out of him as he landed on his wounds.

"What the hell are you doing? Look where you are going, you brute!" A sleepy and apparently angry voice called. Zero turned gaping for air as he pulled his legs away from the sleepy pirate's bed.

"I am sorry, I did not see you... What are you doing sleeping in the hall any way?" Zero asked looking at the pirate wide eyed, as he had never expected to find someone sleeping in the hall.

"Why not?" The pirate growled and looked at him. "You are that military guy that were broth on board with young Harlock, right?" The pirate asked. Zero gasped and held an hand over his chest as his chest were troubling in pain. The cuts felt like they had been ripped open. His pale face gave the pirate the answer he needed.

"You don't look well. Perhaps you should go back to the sickbay. It is right down the hall three doors down." Zero nodded as he pulled himself up.

"By the way, watch you head here. You never know what comes flying, and there is a lot of things on the floor so watch where you are going as well." The pirate said smiling, before he turned around and fell back asleep. Zero smiled and shook his head as he stared to move down the hall again.

_How are things run here? Pirates sleeping in the hall, things coming flying and stuff on the floor?_ He looked on the floor. There were empty bottles of Sake and a lot of other things he did not even know what was.

As he came around a corner, a pirate blasted past him closely followed by another one.

"Hey that's my pants. Give them back!" The second one called. Zero looked after them confused.

"Right." Zero said to himself and just decided to find back to the sickbay. He finally came back to the room he had first found himself waking up in.

The small doctor looked at him, as he sat on one of the beds drinking.

"Wow you look like you had another run in with Kichigai." He laughed. Zero shook his head.

"Just a little run in with one of the pirates. literally." He said as he sat down. "I think I might have reopened the wounds." He said, trying to take his shirt of.

"Well then, lets have a look." Doctor Zero said as he removed the bandages over the chest. His eyes narrowing a little as he saw the cross wound over his chest. All in all this wound could have been fatal, but the military man had been very lucky. A small piece of the wound had reopened.

"Puh, I was getting worried there. This will just take a few seconds to fix." The doctor said and moved over to his bottle.

"I just clean it a little." He said as he filled his mouth with the sake. Zero's eyes widened.

"Wow hey! It's okay! Just fix it. It's clean. It's clean." He called and waved his arms.

Doctor Zero swallowed it ."Oh okay." he said put his bottle down and moved over to his needle and tread.

As Doctor Zero sowed Zero's wound the military man did not utter a sound.

"There. That should do. I would not run in to any more pirates now. One of them might kick your ass." Doctor Zero laughed as he put new bandages on. Zero grinned as well.

Suddenly a bundle of black feathers passed the open door with a lot on noise. Zero looked as it passed puzzled.

"Captain Harlock's bird, Tori-san. He has probably stolen something from Matsu again." Doctor Zero said looking at the door

"Matsu?" Zero asked looking at him.

"The chef, stringy old woman." The doctor growled and moved away.

"Where can I find the canteen?" Zero asked as he stood up and started to painfully put back on his shirt.

"Two doors further down." Doctor Zero said as he went back to the sake.

"Thank you." Zero said and left.

As he came into the hall again when suddenly a small man nearly ran strait into him.

"Hey look where you are going." The pirate called. Zero was kinda shocked to see the man as he was identical to the first mate of young Harlock's Deathshadow.

"You are a model maker?" Zero asked as he saw the model plane in his hand.

"Yeah you are to?" The other one asked, beaming up.

"No I know someone who are." Zero smiled.

"I am Yattarn the first officer." The pirate said smiling. Zero smiled as well.

"I am Zero." He said. For some reason he chose not to use his whole title.

"Zero? Oh your the guy that were broth in with young Harlock. Are you a friend of his?" Yattarn asked. Zero was catch of guard with that one. He was not sure what to say.

"Of sorts." He said feeling that he was not lying completely.

"Okay, well see you around, I am a busy man you know. Yerouumm!" He said running down the hall holding the plane up over his head. Zero sighed.

"Yeah so I see." He said smiling to himself as he kept on down the hall.

As he came two doors down he carefully looked into the canteen. A few pirates were sitting eating and talking.

_Seems quiet enough._ Zero thought when suddenly something whacked him over the head. He looked down to see an elderly lady in a green dress and black booths.

"What are you doing creeping around for? If you want food you come in like all others. Shesh.. Of all the things I have to put up with here." The elder lady mumbled to herself, waving the spoon she had hit Zero in the head with. The pirates were sitting laughing for them self as Zero sat down rubbing the spot on his head that hurt.

"Here you go." The elder lady said a lot more kindly, and placed a plate of food in front of him. "I am Matsu, the ship chef. You need anything you come to me okay?" She smiled. Zero nodded and started to eat as she left.

After a little while Zero were nearly done with his meal as suddenly he heard a startled and angered scream coming from the kitchen. Then a well known orange and brown cat jumped pass his face with a fish in his mouth. Suddenly as the cat passed Zero a knife came flying and stood down in the table. It had missed both the cat and Zero by a mere inch, Zero falling backwards in shock. Matsu suddenly passed him grabbing the knife and ran after the cat out of the canteen.

_Okay... Time to leave, I think_. Zero thought and stood up.

"Hey you better finish of what's on your plate or you'll have Matsu after you just like Mii-kun has now." On of the pirates said.

"Yeah, no joke." Another one said.

"Oh, thank you." Zero said and finished the food before leaving.

---------------------

After nearly getting hit by the ball of some pirates playing ball in one of the halls, and nearly stepping on some tamed racing rodents, Zero had made his way into a much more quiet hall.

_What the hell is going on here? How on earth does the great pirate Harlock have any control over his ship? Every one is just doing as they want to._ Zero thought and looked back where he had come from.

Suddenly he heard a voice talking.

"Puh, I thought she was ever gonna let me out of there." Young Harlock's voice said.

"Three hours, that's a new record, even for you!" Fang laughed.

"Hey you're right. I beaten Tochiro's record of punishment time in the training room as well." Harlock laughed. Again the ship shock like it was laughing and a strange sound came from further down the hall. Fang looked at his master and smiled. Young Harlock smiled as well and they moved on down the hall. Zero followed them silently wondering where they were going. The two of them came to a big door and the door opened on it's own accord like it was experting them. The door closed behind them as they entered the large room. Zero came up to the door.

"What on earth is behind this door? It looks like it could be.." He said holding a hand to it.

"The main Central Computer room?" A female voice said behind him. Zero spun around to see Kei standing behind him with a kind smile.

"Central Computer? What would Harlock be doing there?" Zero asked looking at her. She shook her head making her golden hair wave.

"That I still don't know. I don't know why either of the Harlocks go in there from time to time. Mimee will only say that he will talk to the computer but what that does mean, I am not sure." She said sighing to her self.

"Only the Harlocks know why." She smiled and looked at him.

"Talk to it?" Zero lifted an eyebrow and looked at her. She smiled to him.

"All I do know is that we cant get close to them now." She said and touched the door. She smiled faintly and turned to look at him again.

"You look tired. There were a room prepared for you." She said.

"Well I got a little lost." Zero smiled. Kei laughed suddenly.

"Most people do that the first time. Here, let me show you to your room." She said and took lead.

"Why did you put Harlock though a three hour long training?" Zero asked, he was not even sure why he asked. She seemed to blush at the question.

"Young Harlock and Tochiro jr came on board the Arcadia when they were eighth, they spent two years on board the ship. Though that time they used most of their time playing pranks on the ship's crew. I found that they seemed to learn the consequence when they had to train in the training room." She said blushing.

"You were a favourite to prank, weren't you?" Zero asked remembering the scene from Harlocks memories. She blushed even more. They came around a corner and more of the pirates were resting in the halls, playing cards or other games.

"How on earth do you get any thing done around here? This ship is... well a mess." Zero asked frustrated by the mess. Kei stared to laugh.

"Not quite the strong rules from a military ship is it?" She laughed. "Okay so it's a little messy, but it's home." She smiled. Zero looked at her confused.

"But how..." He stared to say before Kei took a finger to his lips.

"This is how the captain runs his ship. Every one is free to do what they want and free to refuse and order if they don't like it. The captain puts freedom above anything. This ship is our home and it was the captain how said that, we should be free to do what we wanted to to in our home. As long as we do what we need to do, when we need to do it, it should not matter should it?" She smiled. This time it was Zero's turn to blush.

------------------------

As Fang and Young Harlock entered the main Central room, they were met by a lot of sounds of clicking an beeping, but Harlock and Fang could hear the voice behind them.

"Welcome back Young Harlock. I had hoped that you would never had to experience the electrocution rings as well. It was though enough to nearly lose your father to them." Tochiro sr's voice turned sad.

"I suppose I should really be thanking you. If you had not put the tracker on the watch, both me and Zero would be dead now." Harlock said. Fang whined next to him.

"No need to thank me. I am just glad it came out useful again. Fang would you get the disk I have ejected, over to your right there?" He asked. Fang moved over to the disk that stood out form the wall. Taking it carefully between his teeth, He came over to Harlock again.

"Give it to my son, it will make our Death shadow able to pick up the signal as well. Then there'll be three ships able to pick this signal up. Your ship, the Death shadow, The Arcadia and the Queen Emeraldas." Tochiro said. Harlock took the disk from Fang and looked at it.

"Thank you. Hopefully he won't chop my head of, before I can give it to him." He grinned. Fang whined.

"He can try, but I wont let him." He grinned to his master. Tochiro laughed.

"You did an amazing job on the doctor, Fang. My son better watch out." Fang growled proudly, and Harlock gently petted him over the head.

---------------------------------

Harlock and Lighting rested in the captain's room. Harlock sat in his chair looking down in his glass of wine as Lighting were resting by his feet. Mimee sat on the bed playing a melody that calmed the pirate's worried heart.

"Young Harlock is glad to be back here." Mimee said feeling the young pirate's heart. Harlock nodded and took a new sip of his glass.

"I have not seen Fang this happy in a long while." Lighting said and lifted his head to look at his friend.

"Will he leave with him this time?" Harlock asked. Lighting shook his head.

"Not by himself, no. He feels that he failed him again, but Harlock needs him to be close from now on." Lighting said sad. Harlock nodded.

"It would be best for the both of them if he did follow him." They all were silent for a while, when suddenly a sound came from the desk.

"What now?" Lighting asked looking worried as Harlock stood up and punched the screen up. Kei's face appeared.

"Captain there is a Mechanized attack ship coming our way in a great speed." Harlocks eyes narrowed.

"Probably not looking or us, but looking for the Karyu, as those fools were dumb enough to send out on all frequencies that Zero was missing." He growled. "Have they spotted us?" He asked.

"No captain, not yet." Kei shook her head.

"I'm coming up." He said and shut the screen of. His cape waved behind him as he and Lighting made their way up to the battle bridge.

-----------------------

Zero was resting in his room when suddenly an alarm were howling out loud.

"What on earth is going on?" He asked as he came out of his room. He was nearly ran down by a mob of pirates as they ran around.

_What the hell? They seem so changed. Where are the laziness they had?_ He wondered as they passed him. He looked around when he suddenly saw young Harlock and Fang run in a hall further down.

"Blast." He cursed and ran after them.

"Harlock!" He yelled after him. Harlock looked over his shoulder.

"Harlock! What's going on?!" Zero called as he finally catch up with them.

"Apparently trouble." Harlock cursed running on.

"What kind of trouble?" Zero growled.

"If I knew that, would I be running to the bridge to find out?" Harlock growled back, Fang growled as well as he ran. Zero said nothing more but kept on running with them up to the elevator to the bridge. Along the way Zero noticed how the crew suddenly were all working together like a well oiled machine.

"As long as we do what we need to do, when we need to do it, it should not matter should it." Kei's voice rang in his ears.

As they came into the elevator, Harlock was breathing hard and were near to pass out. Zero were also worn out from the run. Fang looked at his Master resting his back on the wall and gasping for air. Zero stood forward bent and were breathing hard as well.

"Don't over do it, you two." Fang whimpered. Harlock stroked over his head and smiled.

"...No... worry...Fang...I... just ... need ... to catch... my breath..." He gasped.

The trip felt like it took forever before the elevator stopped. Harlock were still breathing a little hard but he hid it well, and Zero were okay now, as they entered the bridge again. Captain Harlock stood in the middle on the room, looking up at at the screen. As they entered, he gave them a quick look.

"What do you say, young Harlock? Are you up for a quick strike and board?" The captain grinned, looking up at the ship on the screen. Young Harlock grinned and Fang barked glad.

"Always dad, I would love to get to some damage to the mechanized men after what they did." Zero looked up to the screen, the ship were a standard Mechanized attack ship.

"What is that doing so far from their turf?" He asked.

"They are looking for the Karyu, as they were kinda clear on the fact that you were missing." Kei said as she stood up.

"The Karyu?" He asked shocked.

"Don't worry, that far they will not get. We are gonna make sure of that." Lighting smiled to the captain that smiled back.

"Okay ready the main cannon, shot of their steering and take us along side her." He ordered. The pirates got ready and the Arcadia suddenly came rushing towards the enemy ship. To Zeros surprise the Arcadia shot only two shots that took out the enemy ship's cannons and then shot a single shot rendering the ship helpless. The Arcadia slided up to the side of the ship and the captain, Lighting, young Harlock and Fang stared to leave the bridge, followed by Kei and the first officer. Young Harlock turned to Zero and grinned.

"You coming? Trust me, it will be good to shot some Mechanized asses, after what we have been trough." He laughed. Zero shook his head, he felt that he could not lower himself to that, even as much as he agreed to the feeling of getting some payback. Young Harlock grinned.

"Didn't think so." He said and left.

----------------------------------

Two days later Zero found himself wandering around the Arcadia again.

_We'll arrive at the pirate Island later today, Soon I'll be back on the Karyu. This has truly been a strange time, I have had since I left_. Zero thought as a door next to him opened as Lighting came out. The black wolf looked at him with his dark blue eyes for a second before going on down the hall. Zero looked in to the room and found a forest.

_What on earth? _He though and walked in. The room was not really big but it was grass on the ground and tall threes over him.

Suddenly something hit him in the back and knocked him to the ground. He managed to take his hand before himself, stopping him from landing on his wounds, and looked at his attacker, that had landed in front of him. Fang grinned.

"Did not Kei warn you? Don't enter here when that light is glowing. Me and dad train our target practise here." He laughed as Zero sat up nodding to a ligth on the wall.

"I don't want to know. What is this room?" He said and looked around. Fang smiled kinda sad.

"This it the green room. Dad told me that the maker of the Arcadia also made the pirate islands, and that he made this room for dad so that he would not get depressed. We are forest animals after all, we cant stay trapped between metal walls for to long." Fang sighed and looked around. Zero looked at him for a long time.

"What? You are staring on me." Fang said looking at him.

"Oh sorry, You just remind me of my dog Drake. Only that he was brown not black." Fang listened intensely suddenly.

"Another one of my clan? One of the cliff wolfs?" He asked waving his tail.

"No I never heard him speak like you do." Zero shook his head. "Besides he was killed with my family during the war." Zero said looking sad. Fang whined.

"I am sorry to hear that, but if Drake is really one of us then he should not have died so simply. He is probably looking for you. You have a special fate, and Drake was meant to help you find it." He sad smiling faintly. Zero looked at him confused.

"I was fist given to a human family on earth but they were killed by bandits, I failed to protect them and dad broth me here. Where I met young Harlock. Me and him have been friends since then, and it will only be him I will ever call my master. I am meant to help Harlock get to that special fate he has." Fang smiled and started to leave, he turned around and looked at Zero.

"You should go back there. If it were me, I would not leave that area as I would have a feeling that my master would be back some day. You should go look for him. Drake is probably waiting for you." Fang said and left, leaving Zero to wonder.

--------------------------

Zero wandered around alone on the pirate island. It was a clear night over him and the forest was dark.

_Hard to believe I am inside a meteor. This place looks more like Earth than Earth do._ He smiled shaking his head.

Suddenly something moved in a three above him. Grabbing his gun he aimed up at it. In front of the moon a black shadow stood and a pair of dark blue eyes looked at him.

"Fang!" Zero gasped as he recognised the black wolf. Fang grinned.

"You sure are jumpy to night Zero." Young Harlocks voice said behind him. Zero turned and looked at him.

"I should have known you were close, as well." Zero said looking at the pirate.

"Here." Harlock said and threw a saber to him. It landed standing upright in front of Zero.

"Let's finish the fight now, shall we?" Harlock asked and drew his saber.

"Before our crew comes?" He asked grinning. Zero took the saber and looked up at Fang.

"And him?" He asked. Harlock smiled.

"Fang, stay out of this." He said smiling. Fang nodded and sat down on the branch.

Zero drew the saber and pointed it to Harlock. Harlock grinned and met his saber with his. Fang looked down on them as they started. Even as both of them were hurt, none of them cave an inch, and their sabers clanged together hard. Harlock drew Zero back wards and drove him towards the bushes, when Zero ducked and jumped to the side, getting out of the corner. Harlock turned around and blocked the strike Zero did towards his back. They kept on like this and Fang stood and nearly feel down a couple of times, as he got so into the fight as well.

Suddenly Fang picked up the sound of someone coming. He looked up and from his place in the three, he saw a group of military dressed men, lead by a blue haired lady.

"Zero!" She called as she suddenly saw the two men fighting.

"Zero!" The other ones called as well.

"Blasted Pirate." The largest man said and drew his gun pointing it to Harlock. Suddenly with a loud snare, Fang jumped in front of them and blocked their way.

"_Stay out of this! This is their fight, and you shall not intervene unless you want to fight me!"_ Fang growled in mind speak to the lady. Marina looked at the wolf wide eyed.

"Put down your gun." She ordered to the man. He looked at her confused.

"Why, we got Harlock alone." He said.

"Stay out of it!" Zero suddenly called to his men. "That an order." His crew were forced to just watch as Zero battled Harlock.

Suddenly Fang heard a well known voice coming from the other side of the battle ring.

"Harlock!" Tochiro came ruing with Yattarn and Emeraldas and a few pirates as well.

"Stay there, Tochiro!" Harlock ordered and striked Zero again. The two men kept on fighting surrounded by their friends. As they suddenly drew back from each other, Zero held his other hand up to his chest, as it hurt to breath and his wounds burned. Harlock lifted his right hand up to his stomach, and held it there dead silent. He took his saber to his left in hand, as his right hurt to much to keep on fighting with. Both of them were breathing hard and their friends cheering calls did not reach them. Zero suddenly stood up and took his saber back in the belt.

"This is enough for now I think. I have things I need to check up. Like the rings." Zero said grinning to Harlock. Harlock lifted an eyebrow and chuckled.

"Well, yeah like you could never finish any fight." He grinned and put his saber back as well. Fang came up to him and waved his tail.

"Hey, want else will keep us going, next time we get ourself in to trouble again?" Zero laughed. Harlock grinned and Fang smiled as well. Zero turned to his crew members and smiled. Marina jumped around his neck and her tears fell down in his shirt.

"Easy Marina, I am fine. Let go back to the Karyu." He said and stocked her over the head. Most of his human crew members cried, and the mechanized men made a strange sound that could remind you of crying.

Harlock grinned down to Fang. Suddenly there were a new sound coming from behind them.

"Harlock!" Tochiro cursed and jumped strait at his friend with the sword drawn.

"Shit!" Harlock cursed and tried to move back, but to Tochiro's surprise something black hit in in the stomach hard, and took him down. As Tochiro landed hard on his back, Fang stood over him with his white fangs only a few inches from his face. His breath made his glasses fog.

"Oy! Get of me Fang, Let me up!" Tochiro stared to call and struggled under the nearly grown wolf. Emeraldas could not help but chuckle a little as she saw how good the young Wolf had become.

"Don't let him up yet, not until he has calmed down a bit." Harlock said relived as Fang had saved him.

"You heard the captain, Tochiro. I cant let you up yet." Fang grinned.

"Let me go! Traitor! Let me up!" Tochiro yelled. Zero had to smile seeing the strange scene going on. After a little while Tochiro calmed down.

"Okay okay, just let me up." He said clam. Harlock grinned and nodded to Fang. As Fang walked of him and let him up, Tochiro grabbed his sword again and jumped at Harlock again. Yet again Fang was quicker and jumped on top of his back and slammed him to the ground. Laying on his stomach beeing held down by Fang, Tochiro growled.

"Okay I just had to try. Damn, you got a lot faster since last time I saw you." Tochiro cursed as he stood back up.

"You haven't seen even a fraction of the speed, he has now." Harlock smiled and petted Fang over the head. Fang smiled and jumped at Tochiro again knocking him down and gave him a overhaul licking his face.

"Oy! Oy! Jamero! You are tickling me. Stop! Stop!" Tochiro called as Fang lay over him and his tail going like a drumstick. Harlock laughed so hard that he head tears in his eyes and Emeraldas chuckled next to them. Zero smiled and turned to leave.

"Let's go, shall we?" Emeraldas said as Fang finally let Tochiro up again. The other nodded and stared to walk when Fang looked back over his shoulder. He sighed to himself and turned around, before he let out a proud and strong howl. The sound made every one turn and look at him.

"Fang..." Harlock said and looked at him.

"It sounds just like his dad's howl..." Tochiro said silently. The howl made it's way around the island. As Fang ended his howl, he looked to the stars over him.

Suddenly a answering howl came over the island. A similar howl but even more proud. Every one turned to the small mountain on the island, were the howl came from and most of them gasped as they saw Lighting stand there next to the Great Captain Harlock with the moon behind them. The howl were long and strong and made Fangs heart jump in joy. Young Harlock smiled and looked to his father. Captain Harlock lifted two of his fingers and gave his son a quick wave. Young Harlock smiled and did the same to his father before he took his crew and his wolf friend with him, setting out for the sea of stars again.

**Author's note:**

**here it is the final ending to Hard Lock and Zero Trouble. Hope it was worth the wait as I have finally gotten our Pirate and military captain back to their places..**

**I am really happy about how this came out in the end and with Gemini's help it came together so well.**

**Feel free to tell he how I did.**


End file.
